Microsoft’s stock price plumetted 16% after OpenAI fired CEO Sam Altman — but appears to have immediately recovered most of the drop in after-hours trading. Yet OpenAI’s move “also blindsided key investor and minority owner Microsoft,” writes Ars Technica, “reportedly making CEO Satya Nadella furious.”
Tech reporter Kara Swisher called the firing a “badly managed coup de Sam,” tweeting more details Friday night. “Sources tell me that the profit direction of the company under Altman and the speed of development, which could be seen as too risky, and the nonprofit side dedicated to more safety and caution were at odds. One person on the Sam side called it a ‘coup,’ while another said it was the the right move.”
Ars Technica fills in the story:
Sources told reporter Kara Swisher that OpenAI’s Dev Day event on November 6, with Altman front and center in a keynote pushing consumer-like products, was an