OpenAI has announced the return of Sam Altman as CEO, potentially averting a crisis that saw 95% of its 770-strong workforce threatening to quit after Altman was fired. The announcement, made via Twitter, also revealed a new initial board comprising Bret Taylor (who forced Elon Musk to complete his Twitter takeover, when Musk tried to bail) as Chair, Larry Summers, and Adam D'Angelo. Altman is not on the board, apparently a concession to expedite his return.

Also gone from the board, co-founder Greg Brockman. And all the women.

All. The. Women. 

Tech entrepreneur Tasha McCauley. Gone. Georgetown Center for Security and Emerging Technology’s Helen Toner. Gone.

Maybe Microsoft's Male Champions of Change can take it up at their next meeting, given the company's exposure to the whole imbroglio. Also gone Ilya Sutskever, who apparently had his mind changed by a woman, according to the WSJ.

Altman's reinstatement comes after a tumultuous week (actually just five days) for OpenAI, which began when he was dismissed by the board for a 'lack of candour', a term often used to imply dishonesty. The specifics of Altman's alleged actions remain undisclosed.

30 minutes ago OpenAI tweeted, "We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D'Angelo. We are collaborating to figure out the details. Thank you so much for your patience through this."

The former and future CEO responded five minutes later tweeting, ""i love openai, and everything i've done over the past few days has been in service of keeping this team and its mission together. when i decided to join msft on sun evening, it was clear that was the best path for me and the team. with the new board and w satya's support, i'm looking forward to returning to openai, and building on our strong partnership with msft."

Moments afterward Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella chimed in, "We are encouraged by the changes to the OpenAI board. We believe this is a first essential step on a path to more stable, well-informed, and effective governance. Sam, Greg, and I have talked and agreed they have a key role to play along with the OAI leadership team in ensuring OAI continues to thrive and build on its mission. We look forward to building on our strong partnership and delivering the value of this next generation of AI to our customers and partners."

Earlier today X owner Elon Musk shared a document from Github, that suggested that Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman were undermining OpenAI's not-for-profit mission. The document, which Musk claimed represented the views of some employees, appears to have been deleted.

The threat of a mass staff exodus put OpenAI's shareholders, including Microsoft, in a precarious position. The return of Altman, however, seems to have brought some resolution to the crisis, assuming there isn't another twist around the corner.

The exact details of the new board structure and Altman's return are still being worked out.

- Andrew Birmingham