Inside the Deposition That Showed How OpenAI Nearly Destroyed Itself

A recent deposition from OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, related to the Musk v. Altman lawsuit, highlights significant governance issues within OpenAI that nearly led to its demise. Sutskever revealed he had been contemplating the removal of CEO Sam Altman for over a year, waiting for favorable board dynamics. His testimony included a 52-page dossier filled with unverified claims primarily sourced from CTO Mira Murati. During a critical weekend in November 2023, discussions about merging with competitor Anthropic arose, indicating the board’s desperation amid turmoil. Helen Toner, a board member, controversially suggested that destroying OpenAI could align with its mission to ensure safe AI development. Sutskever acknowledged his miscalculations, particularly regarding workforce loyalty, as 700 employees rallied for Altman's reinstatement. The deposition paints a picture of brilliant talent making catastrophic decisions, underlining how unverified claims and ideological divides can threaten even the most innovative organizations.

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