- Altman is seen as both brilliant and brash by OpenAI employees.
- He remains beloved by many staff despite allegations of toxicity.
- The CEO is still revered for his vision and ability to attract top talent despite cultural changes at OpenAI.
Sam Altman’s temporary ouster and dramatic return as CEO of red-hot startup OpenAI has spotlighted his polarizing leadership style.
Interviews with insiders depict Altman as ambitious and impatient in pursuing his goals. Yet despite allegations of toxicity, he remains beloved by many staff.
“The thing I loved about OpenAI is you got to be heard,” a former employee told Business Insider. “Maybe you didn’t get to be right, but you got to be heard.”
Altman’s Approach to Leadership
Altman is known for keeping his calendar open and making himself exceptionally accessible to employees via Slack, text, and hangouts.
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But his hard-charging attitude can also translate into terse interactions and an air of superiority – even toward powerful partner Microsoft.
Sources say there’s a perception within Microsoft that the relationship has become a one-way information exchange benefiting OpenAI.
Change is Amidst
Some insiders believe that OpenAI’s culture is changing amid commercial pressures and ballooning headcount, which has diluted the talent density.
But despite the complex portrait, Altman’s product vision and ability to lure top minds still make him revered by many.
Said one person: “What everybody was missing…was that Sam was talking about a quality bar problem, not a headcount-planning problem.”
Like his AI models, Altman contains multitudes. But few doubt his drive to make OpenAI a world-leading company.
