Sam Altman's Management Style Comes Under the Microscope At OpenAI Trial
Source: Slashdot
Story
Sam Altman’s Management Style Comes Under the Microscope At OpenAI Trial (businessinsider.com)
Posted by BeauHD
on Wednesday, May 06, 2026 @ 11:30 PM
from the day‑seven dept.
Overview
Sam Altman’s management style came under scrutiny on the seventh day of Elon Musk’s high‑stakes OpenAI trial, as former OpenAI figures Mira Murati, Shivon Zilis, and Helen Toner took the stand to testify about their experiences working with him. Their testimony resurfaced many of the criticisms that first emerged during Altman’s brief ouster as CEO in 2023.
“My concern was about Sam saying one thing to one person and a completely different thing to another person, and that makes it a very difficult and chaotic environment to work with,” — Mira Murati
An anonymous reader quoted a Business Insider report:
- The first witness was Mira Murati, OpenAI’s former chief technology officer and now founder of Thinking Machines Lab.
- Murati’s deposition highlighted Altman’s “difficult and chaotic” management style, noting his habit of telling people what they wanted to hear and his trouble “making decisions on big controversial things.”
- Murati emphasized that her issue was not about safety, but about the chaos Altman created. She supported his return because the company was “at catastrophic risk of falling apart” after his ousting.
Shivon Zilis testified that Altman rolled out ChatGPT without board involvement, a move that “the entire board raised concern about.” She also expressed unease about a potential OpenAI deal with Helion Energy, a nuclear‑energy startup in which Altman and Greg Brockman were investors.
Helen Toner, a former board member who resigned in 2023, recalled first learning of the ChatGPT release from an OpenAI employee asking another board member whether the board was aware. She explained why the board voted to remove Altman in 2023, citing:
- A pattern of behavior related to his honesty and candor
- Resistance to board oversight
- Concerns raised by two members of his inner management team about his management practices and manipulation of board processes
Recap of Recent Trial Days
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Related Links
- Sam Altman fired as CEO of OpenAI (Slashdot)
- Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Head To Court (Slashdot)
- Musk Testifies OpenAI Was Created As Nonprofit To Counter Google (Slashdot)
- Testifies OpenAI Was Created as Non‑profit to Counter Google
- Elon Musk Says OpenAI Betrayed Him, Clashes With Company’s Attorney
- Musk Concludes Testimony At OpenAI Trial
- OpenAI President Discloses His Stake In the Company Is Worth $30 Billion
- Brockman Rebuts Musk’s Take On Startup’s History, Recounts Secret Work For Tesla
- Submission: Sam Altman’s Management Style Comes Under the Microscope At OpenAI Trial