CEO Sam Altman has been fired as OpenAI CEO by the board of directors, following accusations of dishonesty. According to a company statement, "Mr. Altman's departure follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities. The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI."

Chairman Greg Brockman, an OpenAI co-founder was ousted at the same time (although he will remain with the business). Mira Murati, the company's chief technology officer, will step in as interim CEO, and a search for a successor will begin immediately.

The news comes just two weeks shy of the anniversary of the date that the company unleashed ChatGPT on the world. The board of directors announced the decision, stating that Altman's lack of consistent candour had impeded the board's ability to fulfil its responsibilities. 

In a statement, the board said, 'OpenAI was deliberately structured to advance our mission: to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all humanity. The board remains fully committed to serving this mission. We are grateful for Sam's many contributions to the founding and growth of OpenAI. At the same time, we believe new leadership is necessary as we move forward.'

The board said it was confident in Murati's ability to lead the company during this transition period, citing her exceptional qualifications and leadership of the company's research, product, and safety functions. It said Murati has been a key player in OpenAI's leadership team for five years and has been instrumental in the company's evolution into a global AI leader.

OpenAI's board of directors comprises OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, independent directors Quora CEO Adam D'Angelo, technology entrepreneur Tasha McCauley, and Helen Toner of the Georgetown Center for Security and Emerging Technology.

Founded as a non-profit in 2015, OpenAI's core mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity. The company underwent a restructuring in 2019 to enable capital raising in pursuit of this mission, while preserving the non-profit's mission, governance, and oversight.