OpenAI board again in talks with Sam Altman for his return: Report

SAN FRANCISCO: Signalling another twist in the Sam Altman-OpenAI saga, the company's board of directors is reportedly in talks with Altman to return as soon as this week.

According to reports, discussions are underway between Quora CEO Adam D'Angelo, a current member of the OpenAI board and Altman, and possibly other board members as well.

The board and Altman are discussing a number of possible scenarios that could play out like Altman returning as a director on a transitional board, according to Bloomberg.

Former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor could also serve as a director on a new board.

Ace investors like Thrive Capital, Khosla Ventures, Tiger Global Management and Sequoia Capital are also aggressively pushing for Altman's return to OpenAI.

Altman is said to have demanded "significant" managerial and governance changes at OpenAI as a condition for his return.

OpenAI VP of global affairs, Anna Makanju, sent a memo to employees, indicating that OpenAI's management had been in "intense discussions" with the board, Altman and interim CEO Emmett Shear.

Meanwhile, Microsoft on Tuesday said it will match OpenAI's compensation to employees who want to join Altman's new advanced AI research lab at Satya Nadella-run tech giant.

Nadella on Monday announced that Altman and OpenAI co-founder and former president Greg Brockman will join the company to run its advanced AI research team. However, he said that it's still possible that Altman could return to OpenAI in some capacity.