Post Reports

Sam Altman and the chaos at OpenAI

When the board of the world’s leading artificial intelligence company abruptly ousted its popular CEO, it threw the entire tech industry into flux. Today, the rise and removal of Sam Altman and what OpenAI’s shake-up means for the future of AI technology. Read more: Just weeks ago, Sam Altman was on top of the world, the star of the artificial intelligence community and the leader of the company behind the popular chatbot ChatGPT. Then, without notice last week, the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/05/16/openai-ceo-sam-altman-chatgpt-congress/?utm_source=podcasts&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=post-reports" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204); background-color: transparent;" target="_blank">board of OpenAI voted him out</a>. The hasty decision triggered mounting uncertainty at the company and beyond. Was it fraud? Workplace misconduct? Washington Post technology reporter Gerrit De Vynck reports on what we know — or don’t — about the industry upheaval and its ripple effects on <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/11/20/microsoft-openai-sam-saltman-fired/?utm_source=podcasts&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=post-reports" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204); background-color: transparent;" target="_blank">the future of AI</a>. Subscribe to The Washington Post via <a href="https://subscribe.washingtonpost.com/acquisition/?s_l=OFFSITE_PODCAST&amp;p=s_v&amp;s_dt=yearly&amp;utm[…]e-podcast&amp;utm_medium=acq-nat&amp;utm_campaign=podcast-subs" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204); background-color: transparent;" target="_blank">Apple podcasts here</a>.

Post Reports is the daily podcast from The Washington Post. Unparalleled reporting. Expert insight. Clear analysis. Everything you’ve come to expect from the newsroom of The Post, for your ears. Martine Powers and Elahe Izadi are your hosts, asking the questions you didn’t know you wanted answered. Published weekdays around 5 p.m. Eastern time.