Microsoft Azure: OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, and colleagues join Microsoft

Microsoft has recruited Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, and other OpenAI researchers who left the startup over the weekend to head a new advanced AI research team. 

The OpenAI board abruptly fired Altman, saying he was "not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities." This led the co-founder Brockman to resign, and several other employees threatened to quit if Altman was not recalled. Negotiations with Altman to return to the startup were unsuccessful. Instead, he will now join Microsoft as CEO of the new division.

 Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said, "We remain committed to our partnership with OpenAI and have confidence in our product roadmap, our ability to continue to innovate with everything we announced at Microsoft Ignite, and in continuing to support our customers and partners. And we’re extremely excited to share the news that Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, together with colleagues, will be joining Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research team. We look forward to moving quickly to provide them with the resources needed for their success."