OpenAI faces internal unrest as employees demand the reinstatement of ousted CEO Sam Altman and the resignation of the board. The turmoil follows Altman’s unexpected dismissal, with staff threatening to join him and Greg Brockman at a new Microsoft AI unit. The move has raised questions about OpenAI’s leadership, governance, and Microsoft’s involvement, given its significant stake in OpenAI.
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Show Summary:
- 12:37–$70 million boost
- 13:15–Yamaha confirms data breach
- 13:54–Morgan Stanley was fined $6.5 million
- 14:30–NASA astronaut sees her homeland from space
- 15:11–Amazon to cut jobs
- 15:40–Tech CEO’s to testify in the Senate
- 16:21–Former COO pleads guilty
- 11:57–YouTube’s new AI
- A tool-kit orbiting the Earth
- 18:05–Ocean balls might be alien tech
- 19:00–Bullish buys CoinDesk
- 19:37–PBS Food
- 20:03–EU Commission issues objections
- 20:43–GM’s big bet on driverless cars
- 21:57–Amazon’s AI Ready
- 22:35–AI hallucinations
- 23:23–2 Ukrainian cybersecurity officials fired
- 23:59–Microsoft dials back Bing
- Influencers want to bail out Elon Musk
- 08:49–OpenAI staff threatens to quit
- 24:46–SpaceX Falcon 9
- A chance to unionize EV battery plants
- 25:08–Guidelines for naming a planet
- 26:12–NASA tests a laser communicator
- CEO of Cruise quits
- How AI is revolutionizing Black Friday
- 04:54–Microsoft hires Sam Altman
Show Summary:
Crisis at OpenAI: The episode opened with a detailed analysis of the crisis at OpenAI, following the dismissal of co-founder Sam Altman. The internal turmoil involved disagreements over the company’s direction, with nearly all employees, including top executives, threatening to quit. This situation was further complicated by Microsoft offering positions to all OpenAI staff, raising questions about the future of OpenAI and its $86 billion valuation.
Microsoft’s Role: The host discussed Microsoft’s strategic move in hiring Sam Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman for a new AI division, describing it as a “master chess move”. This development led to an open letter from OpenAI employees demanding the board’s resignation and Altman’s reinstatement.
Various Tech News: The episode covered various other tech news, including:
Yamaha Motor’s data breach following a ransomware attack.
Morgan Stanley being fined $6.5 million for exposing customer information.
NASA astronaut Jasmine Moghbeli’s view of Iran from space.
Amazon’s job cuts at the Alexa unit to focus more on generative AI.
Upcoming Senate hearings with tech CEOs on online child sexual exploitation.
A former InfoSec COO pleading guilty to attacking hospitals to drum up business.
Cybersecurity and AI Developments: The podcast touched on a $70 million cybersecurity boost for rural municipal utilities in the U.S., Google’s DeepMind Lyra model for AI-generated music, and Amazon’s free courses on generative AI.
Miscellaneous Topics: Other topics included the buying of CoinDesk by Crypto Exchange Bullish, EU Commission’s objections to Adobe’s Figma acquisition, and developments at GM’s Cruise division in driverless cars.
Global and Scientific News: The host also mentioned a Harvard professor’s theory about mysterious metal-rich spheres in the ocean, SpaceX Falcon 9’s launch, and NASA’s record-breaking laser communicator test.