OpenAI reinstates CEO Sam Altman to board after firing and rehiring

OpenAI is reinstating CEO Sam Altman to its board of directors and said it has "full confidence" in his leadership after an outside investigation into the turmoil that led the company to abruptly fire and rehire him in November. OpenAI said the investigation by the law firm WilmerHale concluded that Altman's ouster had been a "consequence of a breakdown in the relationship and loss of trust" between Altman and the prior board. The ChatGPT maker also said it has added three women to its board of directors: Sue Desmond-Hellman, a former CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Nicole Seligman, a former Sony general counsel; and Instacart CEO Fidji Simo. The actions are a way for the San Francisco-based artificial intelligence company to show investors and customers that it is trying to move past the internal conflicts that nearly destroyed it last year and made global headlines. "I'm pleased this whole thing is over," Altman told reporters Friday, adding that he's been disheartened to see people leaking information to try to "pit us against each other" and demoralize the team. At the same time, he said he's learned from the experience and apologized for a dispute with a former board member he could have handled "with more grace and care".