​In a surprise move on Friday, OpenAI announced that it had ousted CEO Sam Altman and named Mira Murati as interim CEO. Altman had led OpenAI since its founding in 2015, and was seen as key to the company’s close partnership with Microsoft.

Microsoft CEO says nothing about Sam Altman

The board said it no longer had “confidence” in Altman’s ability to lead, though no further explanation was given. Shortly after the announcement, OpenAI president Greg Brockman also resigned, further shaking up the nonprofit AI safety lab’s leadership ranks.

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The abrupt leadership change appears to have caught Microsoft off guard, raising questions about the impact on the two companies’ partnership. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella issued a statement reiterating Microsoft’s “commitment” to OpenAI but did not mention Altman’s departure. Sources (via Axios) say Microsoft was unaware Altman would be leaving his role.

Altman and Nadella had cultivated a close working relationship since Microsoft’s $10 billion investment in OpenAI. While Nadella publicly praised OpenAI at an event last month, DevDay, there have been reported tensions around how technologies developed through the partnership have been implemented.

The Microsoft CEO stated that the company will work closely with new OpenAI interim CEO Mira Murati. However, Microsoft and OpenAI face challenges clarifying their path forward in the wake of this shakeup.