70% of employees leaving within a few hours

More than 500 OpenAI employees have co-signed a letter saying they are ready to join Sam Altman at Microsoft.

The roller coaster continues for OpenAI, the startup that produces ChatGPT and Dall-E. After the surprise dismissal of Sam Altman from OpenAI on Friday evening, and his entry into Microsoft with fanfare a few hours later, it is now the firm’s employees who are on the move.

In all, more than 500 employees are threatening to leave OpenAI out of the company’s 700.

The employee revolt

Shortly after the announcement of Sam Altman’s arrival at Microsoft, many employees began speaking out on Twitter (X) indicating that the startup was nothing without its employees.

Kara Swisher revealed on the social network a letter co-signed by more than 500 OpenAI employees. This letter looks at OpenAI’s actions over the past few days. Above all, we learn that Microsoft has guaranteed a job to all people who wish to leave the startup. And the signatories clearly intend to seize this opportunity.

We, the undersigned, may choose to resign from OpenAI and join the recently announced Microsoft subsidiary led by Sam Altman and Greg Brockman. Microsoft has assured us that there are positions for all OpenAI employees in this new subsidiary if we choose to join. We will take this action as soon as possible unless all current board members resign and the board appoints two new lead independent directors, such as Bret Taylor and Will Hurd, and reinstates Sam Altman and Greg Brockman.

It seems obvious that OpenAI is now putting its future at stake, even in the short term. If the company actually loses 70% of its employees, especially if they all go to the same partner and competitor, it will be very difficult for OpenAI to survive.

Employees are demanding the creation of a new board of directors with the return of Sam Altman at the helm of the company. Now that the businessman is promised to head a new subsidiary at Microsoft, it is a little difficult to imagine how all this could happen without betraying Microsoft. Remember that the American giant has very significant investments in OpenAI.