The Verge: Microsoft hires former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. “Altman was fired from OpenAI on Friday, after the board said it ‘no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.’ After a weekend of negotiations to potentially bring Altman back to OpenAI, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that both Sam Altman and Greg Brockman will be joining to lead Microsoft’s new advanced AI research team.”
MarketWatch: Yahoo CEO says company will seek a public listing again: report. “Yahoo, an early trailblazer of the Internet boom, is ‘very profitable,’ and ready to return to public markets via an initial public offering. That’s according to Chief Executive Jim Lanzone, who made the comments in an interview with the Financial Times that published Tuesday. Yahoo soared to prominence in the 1990s, along with its share price during the dot-com boom.”
TechCrunch: YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki steps down, will assume advisory role at Google and Alphabet. “Susan Wojcicki is stepping down as YouTube CEO after nine years at the helm. In a letter to employees (first published by Recode), Wojcicki says that she’s leaving in order to ‘start a new chapter focused on my family, health and personal projects I’m passionate about.’”
India Times: Youth Organisation Appoints ChatGPT AI Bot As Its CEO, Calls It ‘Groundbreaking’. “When ChatGPT went public last year, it was praised for its quick content creation abilities and the potential hidden therein. Regardless, many critics were sceptical of its capabilities, suggesting that it is susceptible to making errors. That didn’t stop an Indian youth organisation from appointing ChatGPT as its CEO.”
Washington Post: Encrypted app Signal just hired one of Big Tech’s sharpest critics. “Signal has hired Meredith Whittaker, a former Google manager who has been outspoken about the harms of Big Tech, as its first president, adding to the roster of tech critics leading the encrypted messaging app.”
CNET: Peter Thiel Departs Meta Board, Shareholder Proposals Voted Down. “Peter Thiel, an early investor in Facebook, departed the board of social network’s parent on Wednesday, as Meta shareholders rejected most proposals voted on at the company’s annual meeting on Wednesday. Thiel’s departure was expected. A board member since 2005, he said in February he wouldn’t seek reelection to the company’s board.”
CNET: Billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel leaves Meta board. “Peter Thiel, one of the earliest investors in Facebook and a board member since 2005, is leaving the company’s board. Thiel won’t stand for reelection at the 2022 annual meeting, Meta said Monday.”
The Verge: Facebook names a new CTO with a major focus on hardware. “Facebook is serious about being a long-term player in hardware. On Wednesday, the company promoted Andrew Bosworth, the current head of its hardware division that makes Oculus and other consumer devices, to the role of chief technology officer, replacing outgoing CTO Mike Schroepfer when he becomes a senior fellow next year.”
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