The News
Microsoft has dropped its observer seat in the board of OpenAI, while Apple, which had been expected to join the board, won’t take its seat anymore, the Financial Times reported.
The decisions are likely a response to scrutiny from antitrust regulators in the US, the UK, and the European Union into the influence of Big Tech companies in artificial intelligence startups. But it’s unclear whether this will mitigate agencies’ worries over their involvement with OpenAI, Business Insider wrote.
Microsoft has invested $13 billion in OpenAI, and their partnership has helped them both become leaders in the AI race — OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman has described it as “the best bromance in tech.” Microsoft was largely credited with helping to save Altman’s job in 2023, after he was briefly ousted by the former OpenAI board over safety concerns. In its decision to quit the new board now, Microsoft said it had confidence in the company’s direction, and no longer needed an oversight role.