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Altman’s return as OpenAI’s boss tells a story much larger than high drama at a sexy startup

Sam Altman returned to OpenAI. The board that sacked him less than a week back was, in effect, sacked. That’s high drama shading into a farce. But there are clear insights here. First, and especially in cutting edge tech, never underestimate the power of the innovator. Altman wasOpenAI, for investors – Microsoft, Sequoia Capital, Thrive Capital, Tiger Global – and for employees. That Microsoft had hired him and that Mira Murati, named interim CEO after Altman was fired, joined the ranks of employees demanding his return testify to this. Think of, in another time, Apple getting Steve Jobs back. Tech is nothing without innovation, and boards, as important they are, are not usually loci of innovation. Second, don’t expect calm orderliness when it comes to multi-plane relationships between boards, investors and startup founders. Corporate disruption is likelier in companies in the business of disruption. Plenty of startups have seen this, plenty more will do.

Third, startups, and indeed all companies, must be clear about their purpose. OpenAI, which has a for-profit tucked into a notfor-profit, had fault lines built into its structure. It also set itself an inherently contradictory mission – to produce the best AI and to ‘protect’ humanity from the worst of AI. The best AI will often have, or will be used by baddies to have, the worst impacts. Dangerous deepfakes are an early and small example. That’s the nature of the tech beast. The job of regulating tech should be largely left to regulators. Social media platforms are not really disciplining themselves, regulators are after them, as they should be. Tech startups should be for-profit innovators. Governments should jump in when social harm is a serious possibility. Fourth, the Altman drama again showed how key AI is. India better get better at this game. Otherwise, others will set all the rules.

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