A group of senior employees at OpenAI complained to the company’s former board of directors that CEO Sam Altman was “psychologically abusive” — and the allegations contributed to the shocking decision to fire him, according to a report Friday.

  • Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    11 months ago

    Some OpenAI employees reportedly told the board that they “feared retaliation from Altman.”

    In one case, Altman had allegedly become “hostile” after an employee “shared critical feedback” with him.

    Aside from the staff complaints, the sources said OpenAI’s board felt that Altman lied to them as part of an effort to oust Helen Toner, a board member and academic focused on AI safety.

    Altman reportedly soured on Toner after she contributed to a paper that criticized OpenAI for pushing out ChatGPT, arguing the move accelerated the AI race at the expense of safety.

    I’m shocked, shocked, I say, that the man who *checks notes… used his ousting to garner sympathy and oust the people trying to oust him for having abusive tendencies. Classic DARVO. He’s really the victim, guys. Also I’m shocked that a giant corporation like Microsoft would choose a toxic asshole for leadership over quality people for leadership.

    Okay, I’m not that shocked.

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      11 months ago

      CEO types tend to be more sociopathic than the rest of us.

      • bedrooms@kbin.social
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        11 months ago

        Yes. I checked his CV, or maybe it was his short-lived replacement. It looked like people just become CEOs of companies after companies although they are not the experts of the exact technology the companies use.

        They are experts on being the CEO. I kinda understand it’s a skill, but if companies are fashion items to these boys as such a CV make them look, it’s depressing.

    • DragonTypeWyvern@literature.cafe
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      11 months ago

      Hey, Lemmy, remember how you sucked this guy’s dick because a bunch of Microsoft simps sent a letter talking about their strong market position, as a non-profit, while the board that fired him was talking about their responsibility to humanity?

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    11 months ago

    You don’t get to be a CEO without being at the very least a sociopath.

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    11 months ago

    In other words, he’s a CEO.

    I suppose it’s nice that the Internet switches CEO whipping boys ever once in a while to keep things fresh, but it’s still really tiresome once you’ve been around long enough to see the pattern. I remember when it was Bill Gates who was the corporate IT devil. Been a lot of new occupants of that title since then.

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      11 months ago

      Wikipedia is informative … o.O

      Altman lives in San Francisco’s Russian Hill neighborhood and owns a weekend home in Napa, California. He is a prepper. Altman said in 2016: “I have guns, gold, potassium iodide, antibiotics, batteries, water, gas masks from the Israel Defense Forces, and a big patch of land in Big Sur I can fly to.”

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        11 months ago

        and a big patch of land in Big Sur I can fly to.”

        So on the coast? Big brain move. Is he prepping for something other than climate change? Because if anyone should be prepping for things, maybe that should be really high on the list and then maybe you shouldn’t live by a fucking ocean.

        Idiot.

        • Telodzrum@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          He’s prepping for the same thing all these lunatics are – abrupt and complete societal collapse.

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        11 months ago

        Preppers are such dumbasses. Super dangerous too

        Edit: Speaking of prep and asses, I super hope his BF is on PrEp or whatever. Who knows what this psycho gets into during the workday