In November of 2023, just a year after the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Sam Altman was ousted from his post as CEO. Days later, he waltzed back in and retook the throne, snagging a new board in the process. Even though the talk of the drama has died down since then, with other issues, like the 2024 election, taking center stage, it’s still worth wondering why all that happened in the first place.

According to Insider and Gizmodo, people familiar with Altman worry that he’s more in it for himself than for the good of humanity. Altman often uses grandiose rhetoric on how AI will enhance and perhaps even define the humanity of the future. (In a good way, of course. This is all for our good!) Lucas Ropek writes,

Insider’s report, which quotes numerous anonymous venture capitalists and startup executives, takes place as Altman is allegedly engaged in a $100 billion funding round. That money will go towards creating artificial general intelligence—or AGI. To the interviewees, many of whom have interacted with or worked alongside Altman, the tech guru’s combination of lofty rhetoric and cult-of-personality has grown tiresome.

“He likes to act altruistic, but I’d rather he just tell me his true intentions,” said one venture capital partner.

“He’s a megalomaniac”: Some VCs Are Reportedly Fed Up with OpenAI’s Sam Altman (gizmodo.com)

In the past it’s been hard to tell whether Altman thinks AI should have free range in society or if it should be heavily regulated by the government. Is it going to save the world or destroy it? Or is it just going to change things both for the better and for the worse?