Twitch co-founder Emmett Shear has been named the interim CEO of OpenAI, the parent of AI chatbot ChatGPT which went viral about a year ago. Sam Altman and OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman are meanwhile going to software giant Microsoft. This comes soon after OpenAI fired Altman. Altman's firing on Friday prompted other high-profile departures from the company as well as a reported push by major investors to bring the co-founder back. However, as per a report by The Information, Altman would not return to the AI firm. Here are the top five things to know about Shear, the new interim CEO of OpenAI.
- Shear is the co-founder of Twitch and remained the company's CEO until March of this year. Earlier in March, Shear quit Twitch right before a big round of layoffs. Twitch witnessed another round of last month.
- Shear earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Yale University in 2005. Shear also worked from 2014 to 2019, as a part-time advisor to firms at Y Combinator, which is a start-up run by Altman.
- As per a report by news agency Bloomberg, Shear is associated with the effective altruism movement, known for its skepticism regarding the risks associated with artificial intelligence (AI).
- To recall, Shear, alongside Justin Kan, introduced Kiko Calendar, an online Ajax-based calendar application back in 2005. However, ridden with challenges, including competition from Google Calendar, they eventually sold the company on eBay.
- For Y Combinator, as a part-time partner since June 2011, Shear provides guidance to new start-ups in each batch. Forbes Magazine recognized his contributions by including him on the 30 Under 30 list back in 2012.
Meanwhile, the abrupt change in leadership at OpenAI comes as a shock, given Altman's prominent position as the face of generative AI and his instrumental role in steering the AI firm's transition from a non-profit organisation to a commercially viable entity.
Altman was ousted by the company due to a perceived lack of transparency in his communications, the media has reported. He allegedly clashed with board members who expressed concerns about the pace of his initiatives, especially in relation to the safety implications of a technology that, if unchecked, could generate content with potential harm to the public. Shear's hiring at OpenAI comes soon after the firm sacked Altman on Friday and the board said he had not been “consistently candid in his communications".