According to Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, the previous board of directors left him with a “complete mess” to clean up when he took over the company in 2019. Altman revealed this during an interview with Reid Hoffman, stating that the board had made a series of poor decisions that put the company in a difficult position. He did not provide specific details about the nature of the mess, but he emphasized the importance of having a strong and aligned board of directors for a company to succeed. Altman also discussed OpenAI’s mission to develop safe and beneficial artificial intelligence, and the challenges involved in navigating the complex ethical and technical landscape of AI development. Despite the initial challenges, Altman expressed confidence in OpenAI’s ability to overcome them and continue pushing the boundaries of AI research and development.
Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/sam-altman-previous-openai-board-left-him-with-complete-mess-2025-1