In a surprising turn of events, former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and president Greg Brockman will be joining Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research team, as announced by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on X (formerly Twitter). Altman will assume the role of CEO for this new venture, marking a significant move in the tech industry.

Expressing excitement about Altman joining as CEO, Nadella highlighted Microsoft’s approach to giving founders and innovators the space to build independent identities within the company, referencing successful examples like GitHub, Mojang Studios, and LinkedIn.

This development follows the weekend turmoil at OpenAI, where Altman was removed from his position by the board, led by co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, in what is being termed an alleged coup. The unexpected move led to several OpenAI employees, including co-founder Greg Brockman, resigning in protest.

Nadella’s post indicated that Altman and Brockman would be accompanied by “colleagues,” suggesting that Microsoft is also hiring other OpenAI employees who resigned over the weekend.

Emmett Shear, former Twitch CEO, has been appointed as the new OpenAI CEO, succeeding Mira Murati, who was aligned with Altman. Nadella expressed eagerness to work with Shear and the new leadership team at OpenAI.

Altman, known for the launch of ChatGPT, faced a significant uproar in the tech industry following his ouster from OpenAI. Microsoft’s move to bring Altman and Brockman on board aligns with the company’s recent announcement of developing an AI chip capable of training large language models, strategically reducing dependence on Nvidia and potentially cutting costs.

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