Sam Altman said his firing and reinstatement was 'extremely painful,' but 'great for OpenAI'

• Sam Altman spoke out about the upheaval at OpenAI in an interview with Time's editor.
• He said the experience was extremely painful but strengthened the unity of the organization as whole.

Just weeks after drama unfolded at OpenAI, Sam Altman already had a rosier outlook on it all.

Sam Altman opened up about his surprise ouster at OpenAI in an interview with Time's editor in chief, Sam Jacobs, in December. Altman was abruptly fired by OpenAI's board in mid-November and ultimately reinstated as CEO just days later.

"It's been extremely painful for me personally, but I actually think it's been great for OpenAI," he said.

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And once he was back in charge, Altman said OpenAI had never been more unified, determined, or focused. Altman said he never expected the moment to come "so soon" but he predicted that tensions would inevitably come to a head at some point on OpenAI's path to building AGI.

AGI is a still hypothetical form of artificial intelligence that has human capabilities, like common sense and consciousness.

"I wouldn't wish it on an enemy. But it did have an extremely positive effect on the company," he said.

In the interview, Altman said he still needed to work through everything that happened. But his biggest takeaway was that hiring good people is a CEO's most important job.

"The proudest moment for me, in all of this craziness, was realizing that the executive team could totally run the company without me," he said. "I can go retire, OpenAI will be fine."

Altman also returned to OpenAI with a new board that included Silicon Valley veteran Bret Taylor amd economist and former Harvard president Larry Summers. Quora CEO and cofounder Adam D'Angelo is a holdover from the earlier board. And one of the major changes OpenAI instituted upon Altman's return was that the new board could veto his decisions.

In the interview, Altman said he's counting on OpenAI to be self-reliant in case there's any more controversy in the future. OpenAI's ability to function in moments that are uncertain and stressful is going to be key for the whole world, he said.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.