OpenAI employees unhappy with CEO Sam Altman, leaving to join Google

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OpenAI, the startup behind the AI sensation ChatGPT, appears to be having some internal troubles, not with its systems or products, but with employees. Many senior executives are reportedly unhappy with the company’s direction and future strategy, as well as its CEO, Sam Altman. Some of them have left OpenAI to join AI rival Google, while others plan to resign soon.

According to the German publication BR24, OpenAI employees are concerned about the company’s rapid growth. Over the past six months or so, the company’s headcount has reportedly grown 500 percent — from 100 employees in December 2022 to almost 600 now. This growth is fueled by multi-billion dollars of investments led by Microsoft. As part of the deal, the Windows maker is said to be pocketing the vast majority of OpenAI’s profits.

This seemingly hasn’t resonated well with some senior executives at OpenAI. To make the matter worse, CEO Sam Altman has been openly critical of unregulated AI technologies. Some executives feel his statements are “just accessories to appease politicians.” They don’t seem to be liking Altman’s self-critical approach. The OpenAI CEO has warned that future versions of ChatGPT could be too powerful to be entrusted to the general public.

“Employees say that he has only a superficial understanding of many topics and hardly cares about day-to-day business,” the report states. While no names were mentioned, the German publication confirms that many OpenAI employees have already resigned. A few more plan to do so within the next few weeks. Several of them have already signed contracts with Google and will be helping the company in its AI efforts, including ChatGPT rival Bard.

OpenAI originally hired former Google and Meta employees to create ChatGPT

By hiring AI experts from OpenAI, Google is taking back what it lost to its arch-rival in the past. As of February this year, more than 25 percent of OpenAI’s total staff were former Google employees, including some from its AI research lab DeepMind. A Business Insider report said that 59 of the ChatGPT creator’s 200-plus employees previously worked for Google. Another 34 joined from Meta, while OpenAI also hired from Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, and other tech firms.

Reports suggest that OpenAI continued to poach former Google employees in subsequent months. As the new report said, the company currently has a headcount of around 600 people. This exponential growth is a testament to its ambitions and ChatGPT’s popularity. Its website (openai.com) has reportedly already surpassed two billion monthly visitors. It remains to be seen how or if this brain drain to Google affects OpenAI.

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