History Repeats? OpenAI’s Board May Reinstate Sam Altman in a Move Reminiscent of Steve Jobs’ Apple Saga
In a turn of events that echoes the corporate drama at Apple in the 1980s, OpenAI’s board is reportedly reconsidering their decision to fire Sam Altman, amid threats of mass resignations from staff and mounting pressure from investors. This scenario is strikingly similar to Steve Jobs’ departure from Apple in 1985, only to be brought back in 1997 when the company he founded was on the verge of bankruptcy.
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The timeline of Sam Altman’s involvement with OpenAI, including recent events:
2015: Sam Altman is one of the co-founders of OpenAI, established with the mission to ensure that artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity.
2019: OpenAI transitions from a non-profit to a “capped profit” company, and Altman steps down as the president of Y Combinator to become the CEO of OpenAI.
2020–2022: Altman leads OpenAI through various milestones, including the release of GPT-3 and the AI models DALL-E and Codex.
2023: Altman is involved in the development and release of GPT-4.
November 2023: Altman is unexpectedly dismissed from his role as CEO by OpenAI’s board of directors, with Mira Murati appointed as the interim CEO.
November 2023: Following his dismissal, there is significant backlash from OpenAI employees and the tech community, leading to rumors and discussions about his potential reinstatement, mirroring the corporate upheaval experienced by Steve Jobs at Apple.
Just as Jobs was known for his charismatic and innovative leadership at Apple, Altman is credited with steering OpenAI through pivotal advancements in artificial intelligence. The board’s initial decision to terminate Altman has been met with a wave of support for the former CEO, highlighting his influence and the impact of his leadership style.
Here’s a chronological summary of the major events that happened to Steve Jobs regarding his tenure at Apple:
1976: Steve Jobs co-founds Apple Computer Inc. with Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, introducing the Apple I computer.
1977: Apple II is released, becoming one of the first highly successful mass-produced personal computers.
1980: Apple goes public, and the IPO generates more capital than any IPO since Ford Motor Company in 1956.
1983: Apple launches the Lisa, one of the first personal computers to offer a graphical user interface (GUI), but it fails commercially.
1984: The Macintosh is launched, initially successful due to its innovative GUI.
1985: Jobs is stripped of his duties at Apple by the board of directors after a power struggle with CEO John Sculley and resigns to found NeXT Inc., a computer platform development company specializing in higher education and business markets.
1986: Jobs purchases The Graphics Group (later renamed Pixar) from Lucasfilm.
1996: Apple buys NeXT for $429 million and 1.5 million shares of Apple stock, and Jobs returns to Apple as a part-time advisor to the CEO.
1997: Jobs becomes the de facto interim CEO (iCEO) after the resignation of then-CEO Gil Amelio, beginning a turnaround for the then-struggling company.
2000: Jobs officially becomes the full-time CEO of Apple.
2001: Apple introduces the iPod, which becomes a massive success and revolutionizes the music industry.
2007: Apple introduces the iPhone, which becomes a transformative product for the mobile phone industry.
2010: Apple introduces the iPad, which popularizes tablet computing.
The potential reversal of Altman’s firing suggests a recognition of his integral role and importance to OpenAI’s mission, much like Jobs’ return was seen as a necessary step to revive Apple’s then-flagging fortunes. OpenAI staff and investors have made their stance clear, setting a deadline for the board to act, which has now passed.
The tech community watches with bated breath, as this modern-day leadership drama unfolds, bearing a remarkable resemblance to the storied comeback of Jobs.
If you would like to learn what happened you may check my previous post about Why Was Sam Altman Fired as CEO of OpenAI?
