Why was Sam Altman fired by OpenAI in 2023? New report points to ‘sociopathic’ pattern of deception

The high-profile case of Sam Altman being fired by the OpenAI board and then rehired within five days in 2023 is still fresh in the public mind. Following the drama, both Greg Brockman and Sam Altman returned to the company, while OpenAI’s board was reconstituted and chief scientist and co-founder Ilya Sutskever left the company.

But we didn’t have many details about what prompted the ChatGPT maker’s board to fire its best-known face. So far, a new, in-depth investigation has emerged by The New Yorker, which states that Altman’s sudden firing stemmed from internal allegations of persistent deception.

Why was Sam Altman fired from OpenAI?

The report notes that OpenAI’s then-chief scientist, Ilya Sutskever, compiled a detailed list of internal documents accusing Altman of blatantly lying to the board and company staff. Working with like-minded colleagues, Sutskever reportedly compiled nearly 70 pages of Slack messages and HR documents into secret notes and sent them as disappearing messages to three OpenAI board members.

The memos accused Altman of not only misrepresenting the facts to executives and board members but also misleading them about internal security protocols. One of the notes reportedly began with a list titled “Sam exhibits a consistent pattern of…” The first item was listed as “Lying.”

Altman was attending a Formula 1 race in Las Vegas and when Sutsveker asked him to join a video call with the board, he was told he was no longer an OpenAI employee. The board also issued a press release stating that Altman was fired because he “was not consistently candid in his communications.”

The OpenAI co-founder was rehired by the company in just 5 days after pressure from investors and employees who threatened to resign if Altman was not brought back. Altman called for the removal of the board members who fired him, but the resigned members demanded an independent investigation into Altman’s conduct

Although the review ultimately allowed Altman to remain CEO, sources close to the investigation told the publication that “Sam did not conclude that George Washington was an honest cherry tree.”

An investigation was eventually conducted, but no written report was published and findings were limited to oral briefings. While Altman explained that ‘the review did not conclude that Sam was an honest cherry tree for George Washington’, the report quoted someone close to the matter as saying:

Sam Altman’s history at previous companies:

The report also details concerns about Altman’s behavior, including descriptions of his previous roles in Silicon Valley.

At his first startup, Loopt, a group of senior employees reportedly twice asked the board to remove him as CEO, citing concerns about his leadership and lack of transparency. Some of the employees also told the publication that they were impressed by his tendency to exaggerate even trivial things.

Later, when Altman served as president of famed startup incubator Y Combinator, several partners became upset with him and complained to Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham about his tendency to prioritize personal angel investments over funds. After an ‘open’ meeting, Altman agreed to leave but became YC president instead.

Both Altman and Graham publicly say he was not fired, but the report notes that Graham was privately clear that Altman was fired due to distrust from YC partners.

Before Altman’s dismissal, Graham reportedly told his YC colleagues, “Sam was lying to us all the time.”

OpenAI co-founder tagged sociopart:

The report notes that after interviewing more than a hundred people, many expressed concerns about Altman’s unrelenting lust for power and his handling of the truth.

An unnamed board member told the publication that Altman was “not bound by the facts” and described him as having “an almost sociopathic lack of concern for the consequences of cheating on someone.”

The report revealed that Aaron Swartz, a brilliant coder, Reddit co-founder, and Altman’s first Y Combinator groupmate, also expressed concerns to friends about Altman’s behavior before his death in 2013. Swartz reportedly told a friend, “You have to understand that Sam can never be trusted. He’s a sociopath. He’ll do anything.”