The OpenAI Board Special Committee today announced the completion of the review by WilmerHale. The firm conducted dozens of interviews with former OpenAI Board members, OpenAI executives, advisors to the former Board, and other relevant witnesses; reviewed more than 30,000 documents; and evaluated various corporate actions. Based on the track record developed by WilmerHale and following the recommendation of the Special Committee, the Board expressed its full confidence in the continued leadership of OpenAI by Mr. Sam Altman and Mr. Greg Brockman.
“We have unanimously concluded that Sam and Greg are the right leaders for OpenAI,” said Bret Taylor, Chairman of the OpenAI Board of Directors.
Sam Altman, as CEO, will rejoin the OpenAI board of directors.
The OpenAI Board also announced today the election of three new Board members as part of its commitment to expansion, including:
- Dr. Sue Desmond-Hellmann, former CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and member of the board of directors of Pfizer and the President's Council of Advisors on Science and technology.
- Nicole Seligman, former executive vice president and global general counsel of Sony and president of Sony Entertainment and member of the board of directors of Paramount Global, Meira GTx and Intuitive Machines, Inc.
- Fiji Simo, CEO and President of Instacart and Board Member of Shopify
The new members have experience leading global organizations and navigating complex regulatory environments, including backgrounds in technology, nonprofits, and board governance. They will work closely with current board members Adam D'Angelo, Larry Summers and Bret Taylor, as well as Greg, Sam and OpenAI senior management.
Taylor further stated: “As Chairman of the Board, I am pleased to welcome Sue, Nicole and Fidji to the OpenAI Board of Directors. “His experience and leadership will enable the Board to oversee the growth of OpenAI and ensure we pursue OpenAI’s mission of ensuring that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.”
The Board also announced the adoption of significant improvements to OpenAI's governance structure. Key improvements include:
- Adopt a new set of corporate governance guidelines;
- Strengthen OpenAI's conflict of interest policy;
- Create a whistleblowing hotline to serve as an anonymous reporting resource for all OpenAI employees and contractors; and
- Create additional Board committees, including a Mission and Strategy committee focused on the implementation and advancement of OpenAI's core mission.
The expanded board will prioritize its crucial work to improve governance procedures to better achieve OpenAI's mission. “We recognize the magnitude of our role in managing transformative technologies for the global good,” Taylor added.
The Special Committee recognized the important work done by WilmerHale in conducting this extensive review and thanked current and former OpenAI Board members, advisors, and employees for their cooperation. The Special Committee of the OpenAI Board of Directors published a summary of the findings.
