Commentary: What does it mean for a company if 95% of employees threaten to quit alongside the CEO?

RESPONSE BY OPENAI EMPLOYEES IS UNUSUAL

The response by OpenAI employees to Altman’s initial sacking is unusual in both the extreme nature of the action as well as the level of solidarity amongst employees. It presents an interesting insight into the complex relationships that CEOs have with their boards and their employees, and the powerful, yet often unspoken influence of culture on these dynamics.

Altman has been described by venture capitalist Vinod Khosla as a “once-in-a-generation CEO” and as “one of the true missionaries in a world full of mercenaries” by Rewind AI CEO Dan Siroker.

His intellect, charisma and belief in the mission that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity were key drivers in the level of followership he generated at OpenAI. The depth of commitment to both the organisation and Altman as its leader is evident in the employee letter to the board following his dismissal.

This dual loyalty is not common and at its most powerful, creates work environments where productivity, engagement and retention, team cohesion and collaboration, and customer focus are all at their peak.

In the case of OpenAI, however, the reaction to the decision to dismiss Altman brought an underlying risk rapidly to the surface – the board had underestimated the depth of affection and commitment that the organisation had for their CEO. In this case, the culture, mission and purpose of OpenAI was so intrinsically connected to Altman that employees would rather leave than stay without him.