Huge scandal, after the shock dismissal of Sam Altman from OpenAI: Investors who put billions in the company would have known a minute before the public announcement. Pressure for the resignation of the board and the return of Altman. Wave of resignations. The round that would have valued OpenAI at $90 billion in the air

The shock firing of the co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, the company that set the world on fire a year ago when it launched ChatGPT showing the disruptive potential of artificial intelligence, could be reversed and the board members who orchestrated the shock move could be they fired, after several key people resigned and investors are furious that the project in which they poured billions appears to be at risk of disintegration, according to the main US tech and business publications, which are following what appears to be a real soap opera.

The Microsoft giant would have learned of Altman’s dismissal just a minute before the announcement became public, and the other investors were also kept out of the discussions.

The Verge writes that the board that organized the “coup” is discussing Altman’s return and at the same time the resignation of its members. Altman would be open to the idea, but on the condition of substantial changes in corporate governance.

The radical change comes in the context of a wave of resignations from the company, after the initial shock of the dismissal has dissipated. The hypothesis that gives OpenAI investors chills is that Altman, together with the resigners, will launch a new company that would make OpenAI an irrelevant project that could collapse with a bang.

Greg Brockman, the former president of OpenAI, who resigned after Altman’s dismissal, would have started discussions in this regard to attract funding for a new project.

A planned sale of shares to OpenAI employees, which would value the startup at about $86 billion on paper, is up in the air after the sudden firing of CEO Sam Altman and the departure of a string of top executives. The buyout offer, led by Thrive Capital, has not yet closed but was in the final stages and expected to be completed as early as next month, according to a person familiar with the situation.

By Saturday, three former OpenAI employees who planned to participate in the takeover bid said they no longer expected the sale to happen, or if it did, it would be at a lower valuation because of recent events, according to The Information .

And the Wall Street Journal writes about the efforts to bring Altman back. “Altman is expected to decide between the two options — returning to OpenAI or launching a new project — as early as this weekend. Major OpenAI shareholders, including Microsoft and venture capital fund Thrive Capital, are helping to orchestrate efforts to reinstate Altman at the top of the company. Microsoft has invested $13 billion in OpenAI and is its main financial backer. Thrive Capital is the company’s second largest shareholder.”

The exact reason for Altman’s firing could not be determined. But for weeks, tensions have grown over the rapid expansion of OpenAI’s commercial offerings, which some board members saw as violating the company’s original charter to develop AI safely, the WSJ notes.