The writer is founder of Sifted, an FT-backed site about European start-ups
The failings of OpenAI’s corporate governance regime have been laid brutally bare in recent days. On Friday, the four independent board members of the world’s hottest start-up fired its chief executive, Sam Altman, for misleading them. A new interim CEO was appointed and then almost immediately ditched for another.
But by Tuesday, following howls of protests from OpenAI’s employees and investors, the board concluded that Altman was in fact trustworthy enough to be reinstated as chief executive and three board directors quit instead. Only a figure skater on speed could compress more pirouettes into such a short routine.