Sam Altman Was Fired by OpenAI and Then Re-Hired 4 Days Later. Making History Amongst CEOs.

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Sam Altman joins short list of CEOs to be fired & re-hiredPhoto bythe author (licensed under CC BY 4.0)

Last week, CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, joined a short list of CEOs to be fired and then re-hired in their respective companies, including Jack Dorsey (of Twitter) and Steve Jobs (of Apple).

On November 17th, OpenAI announced a "leadership transition", citing that Sam "hadn't been consistently candid in his communications with the board".

Then, 4 days later, Sam was reinstated -- just as Steve Jobs did in 1985, after he was voted off Apple's board of directors.

Why Did Sam Get Fired? And Then Re-Hired.

Weeks ago, a statement released by OpenAI outlined the $80 billion tech company's new leadership status.

"Chief technology officer Mira Murati appointed interim CEO to lead OpenAI; Sam Altman departs the company. Search process underway to identify permanent successor."

For 4 days, once again CTO Mira Murati was appointed interim CEO.

"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. As the leader of the company’s research, product, and safety functions, Mira is exceptionally qualified to step into the role of interim CEO. We have the utmost confidence in her ability to lead OpenAI during this transition period.”

But shortlere therafter, the company announced via Twitter/X that Sam had returned, posting,

"Sam Altman is back as CEO, Mira Murati as CTO and Greg Brockman as President. OpenAI has a new initial board. Messages from @sama and board chair @btaylor."

Although the reasoning behind the transition is still unclear, it puts Sam's name amongst a small list of tech CEOs with similar stories.

A Short List of Fired & Re-Hired CEOs

While Sam Altman's return to OpenAI is notable for its short duration, he is not the only CEO to have made a comeback in the tech industry. Bob Iger, the former CEO of Disney, also stepped down briefly but then returned to lead the company once again. His return highlighted the value of his leadership and the pivotal role he played in Disney's success.

In 1985, Jobs publicly shared how he had been fired after a "boardroom rant", only to return to his role of CEO 12 years later.

Similarly, Jack Dorsey, who co-founded Twitter in 2006, was fired as its CEO in 2008. According to insiders, the company's board found him "unfit to lead the company." The board had cited Dorsey's inability to solve a persistent outage issue causing the service to crash routinely -- not to mention Dorsey’s tendency to leave work early to attend fashion design and yoga classes.

Howard Schultz, the former CEO of Starbucks, left the position but later returned. Schultz's return to Starbucks showcased his continued dedication to the company and his ability to navigate challenges in the ever-changing coffee industry.

On the other hand, not all CEOs who have left their companies make a comeback. Travis Kalanick, the former CEO of Uber, had expressed his desire to return to the company after his departure but has not done so yet. Likewise, Adam Neumann, the co-founder of WeWork, has not made a return after leaving his position. These examples illustrate that while some CEOs reclaim their roles, others choose to pursue new opportunities or face obstacles that prevent their return.

Sam Hopes His 2nd Ru Will Lead to Greener Pastures

A Silicon Valley comeback story is not uncommon, but Sam Altman's return to OpenAI stands out for its exceptional speed and the overwhelming support he received from the company's employees. Sam's story makes for a rarity in the tech world.

In an exclusive interview with The Verge, Sam attempts to recount the uncertainty of the past weeks,

"It took me a few minutes to snap out of it and get over the ego and emotions to then be like, ‘Yeah, of course I want to do that,’” he told me by phone on Wednesday. “Obviously, I really loved the company and had poured my life force into this for the last four and a half years full time, but really longer than that with most of my time. And we’re making such great progress on the mission that I care so much about, the mission of safe and beneficial AGI.”

Setting his sights to the future, Sam went on to share,

"You can always hit a wall, but we expect that progress will continue to be significant. And we want to engage with the world about that and figure out how to make this as good as we possibly can."

Hey, I'm Hudson! I write about social media, marketing, and modern entrepreneurship. Hit follow for more stories like this one.