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☆ Grammys 2024: There’s a new category for African musicians at the awards. Meet the nominees
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Lamide Akintobi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Lagos, Nigeria CNN —For the first time, African music will have its own category at the Grammys. The Recording Academy will showcase three new categories for this year’s awards, including “Best African Music Performance” — featuring some of Afrobeats’ global superstars. The Nigerian singer best known as Davido is also nominated for Best Global Album and Best Global Music Performance. Burna BoyVideo Ad Feedback The night Burna Boy became a Hollywood star 03:19 - Source: CNNBurna Boy, whose real name is Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, is up for a total of four Grammys this year for Best Global Music Album, Best Melodic Rap performance, Best Global Music Performance and Best African Music Performance — and will perform at the awards. No stranger to the awards circuit, he won the Best Global Music Album Grammy in 2021 for his album “Twice as Tall.” Burna Boy ended a historic 2023 at No.

Persons: ”, Harvey Mason Jr, Arya Starr, Sarah Aderibigbe, Ayra Starr, “, Barack, Kelly Rowland, Stormzy, Tiwa Savage, ” Asake, Ahmed Ololade, Amapiano, Olamide, Tyla Tyla, John Lamparski, Musa Keys, David Adeleke’s, Davido, “ I’m Organizations: Nigeria CNN —, Recording Academy, Recording, Spotify, YouTube, Mavin Records, CNN, Vibe, Art, Olamide, Getty Images, South, Hollywood, Best Locations: Lagos, Nigeria, Los Angeles, Square , New York City, AFP, South African, Nigerian, Africa

☆ Bipartisan Illinois election board dismisses 14th Amendment case against Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The panel voted 8-0 on a bipartisan basis to dismiss the challenge, finding that it didn’t have jurisdiction to adjudicate a dispute involving the 14th Amendment. He said state courts – which have more power than the election board – should decide Trump’s eligibility. Trump attorney Adam Merrill, however, urged the state board to keep Trump on the 2024 ballot, pushing back against the findings from Erickson. This includes Missouri’s secretary of state and Texas’ lieutenant governor, though they weren’t involved in the Illinois case. CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correct the vote tally by the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, “, Judge Clark Erickson, Erickson, Trump, Catherine McCrory, ” McCrory, ” Matthew Piers, ” Piers, Adam Merrill, “ Mr, ” Merrill, ”, can’t, Biden, Joe Biden, rebuffing, Biden “, Marni Malowitz, ” David Herman, ” Herman Organizations: Washington CNN, Illinois State, Trump, Capitol, Republican, United States Congress, Illinois, Citizens, GOP, Biden, United, Constitution Locations: Illinois, Colorado, Maine, Michigan , Minnesota, United States, Mexico, Texas

☆ Judge strikes down Elon Musk’s massive, multi-billion-dollar pay package
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —A Delaware state court judge has thrown out the 2018 pay package that helped to make Tesla CEO Elon Musk one of the richest people in the world. He said Tesla investors will benefit from the decision by having the “dilution from this gargantuan pay package erased.”Attorneys for Musk and the Tesla board argued the pay package was approved by a shareholder vote. Excluding the votes owned by Musk and his brother, 73% of the shares voting in that election supported the pay package. The company’s market cap was valued at $54 billion at the time the pay package was approved. Robyn Denholm, the chair of Tesla’s board, testified that the pay package was all about keeping Musk focused on Tesla.

Persons: Elon Musk, Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick, Musk, Tesla, “, ”, Greg Varallo, McCormick, ” Musk, Robyn Denholm, ” Denholm, – CNN’s Matt McFarland Organizations: New, New York CNN, Musk, Delaware Supreme, SpaceX, Twitter, Boring, Tesla Locations: New York, Delaware, . Delaware, Tesla

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Regional Mexican music — a catchall term that encompasses mariachi, banda, corridos, norteño, sierreño and other genres — has become a global phenomenon, topping music charts and reaching new audiences as it crosses borders. Overall, regional Mexican music grew 60% in the U.S., accounting for a whopping 21.9 billion on-demand audio streams. On Spotify, Mexican music grew 400% worldwide over the last five years, according to Uriel Waizel, lead editor at Spotify Mexico. And I think that is exciting.”Waizel says that while Mexican music is centuries old, “current Mexican music is breaking because it is the music that young people listen to." Actor and singer Lucero, a veteran performer of regional Mexican music, also remembers those days.

Persons: Selena Quintanilla, Eslabon, Pluma’s “ Ella Baila Sola, ”, Eslabon Armado, Junior, Leila Cobo, Billboard’s, Uriel Waizel, Pluma, Taylor Swift, ” Cobo, Waizel, Édgar Barrera, Drake, Barrera, Carín León, Maluma, Don Juan, León, ” Maluma, Pedro Tovar, wasn't, Juan Gabriel, Vicente Fernández's, “, ’ ”, Gabriel Abaroa Jr, Lucero, Becky G, couldn't, it’s, I’m, ” ___ Sherman Organizations: MEXICO CITY, — Regional, Spotify, Grupo Frontera, U.S ., Fuerza Regida, Associated Press, Cobo, Spotify Mexico, YouTube, Fuerza, Premios Juventud, AP, Latin Recording Academy, Mexicans Locations: MEXICO, Mexican, “, U.S, Mexico, Frontera, Puerto Rico, ’, Mexican American, Los Angeles

A Pennsylvania law that makes it a crime to release information about teacher disciplinary complaints is an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment, a federal judge has ruled. The law's confidentiality provision makes it a misdemeanor to disclose the existence of a state complaint or any information about it unless and until discipline is imposed. U.S. District Judge Karen S. Marston did not strike down the law itself in her Jan. 10 ruling. “The confidentiality provision exists to protect the reputation, privacy, and due process rights of educators” who are accused, and ultimately cleared, of wrongdoing, said Chris Lilienthal, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Pepper's misconduct complaint centers on a January 2023 email that school psychologist Julia Szarko sent to his school district account.

Persons: —, Jimmy Adams, he’s, Karen S, Marston, James Pepper, Pepper, “ weaponizing ”, Aaron Martin, Martin, ”, Chris Lilienthal, Jennifer Schorn, Julia Szarko, Szarko, Szarko —, Pepper's, she's, “ Dr, ” Pepper, “ Organizations: Pennsylvania Department of Education, National Association of State, Education, U.S, District, Central Bucks School District, Central Bucks, Department of, Pennsylvania State Education Association, Republican, of Education Locations: Pennsylvania, Bucks County, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s

☆ Florida Eliminates Sociology as a Core Course at Its Universities
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Anemona Hartocollis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Students can no longer take sociology to fulfill their core course requirements, Florida’s state university system ruled on Wednesday. Instead, its board of governors approved “a factual history course” as a replacement. The decision by the 17-member board of governors came after fierce opposition from sociology professors in the university system, which includes the University of Florida and Florida State. Ron DeSantis to challenge the education establishment, and what the governor portrayed as its liberal orthodoxy. Mr. DeSantis, a Republican, had tried to leverage his education record in his failed campaign for president.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Chancellor Ray Rodrigues, ” Organizations: University of Florida, Florida State, Gov, Republican Locations: Florida

A forward-looking gauge of economic activity continued to soften in December, though the overall rate of decline improved in the last six months of 2023. The Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index fell by 0.1% in December, below expectations, yet contracted by 2.9% over the past six months, down from 4.3% for the prior six-month period. “Despite the overall decline, six out of 10 leading indicators made positive contributions to the LEI in December. Moreover, other recent economic data – consumer sentiment, retail sales and jobless claims – has been positive and consistent with an expanding economy. The Fed indicated then that members of its monetary policy committee favored at least three cuts in rates this year.

Persons: LEI, Justyna, “, ”, –, Shaan Raithatha Organizations: The Conference, Congress, Federal, Commerce Department, Vanguard, Fed Locations: U.S, Wells Fargo

☆ Ann Arbor School Board Set to Vote on Israel-Gaza Ceasefire Resolution
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Dana Goldstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The public school district in Ann Arbor, Mich., is looking to hire a new superintendent. But over the past month, the Board of Education has debated many hours over whether to support a resolution calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Gaza war. The closely divided board is now set to vote on that resolution on Wednesday, and could become one of the first public school systems in the country to pass such a statement. Supporters of the proposed resolution, including the board’s Palestinian American president and a Jewish trustee, have said that the statement is an urgent moral necessity amid a humanitarian crisis. A few opponents of the resolution have said that they oppose a cease-fire because Israel has the right to defeat Hamas, the group that controls Gaza, after the Oct. 7 attacks.

Organizations: of Education, Palestinian Locations: Ann Arbor, Mich, Israel, Gaza

☆ Opinion | Economics Textbooks Are Finally Getting a Vital Update
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Peter Coy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But for nearly 15 years, leading introductory economics textbooks gave students an outdated or incomplete explanation of how the Federal Reserve conducts monetary policy. Only now are the textbooks catching up with reality, and some still haven’t fully embraced the new world. And the Council for Economic Education, a nonprofit, is aiming to publish updated standards for what high school economics students should know in 2025. Still, it’s disappointing — though maybe not surprising — that it has taken so long for the notoriously slow-moving world of education to catch up. To explain where the textbooks lagged, I need to do a quick run through the recent changes in monetary policy.

Persons: I’m Organizations: Federal Reserve, College, for Economic Education

☆ The biggest risks US businesses face in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

But, while businesses have plenty to be grateful for and much to be optimistic about, the coast isn’t clear. Last week, surveys from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and The Conference Board detailed the biggest risks that businesses are currently worried about. Here are some of the biggest risks for American businesses in 2024. Those financial stresses can reduce the willingness of banks to lend to others businesses and also to consumers,” she said. Bank earnings look really bad this quarter.

Persons: there’s, “, John Maynard Keynes, ”, ” Dana Peterson, Bill Dunkelberg, ” Peterson, ” Suzanne Clark, We’re, Mike Johnson, Chuck Schumer, Fitch, Clark, JPMorgan Chase, Nicole Goodkind, Krystal Hur, FactSet, Martin Luther King Jr, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, DC CNN, Federal, National Federation of Independent Business, Board, US, of Commerce, of American, Conference Board, Conference, CNN, Fed, Corporate, US Chamber of Commerce, chamber’s State of American, AAA, Moody’s Investors Service, US Chamber, Commerce’s, Google, Citigroup, Bank, JPMorgan, FactSet, Revenue, Profit, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Valley Bank, Signature Bank, Bank of America, FDIC, Citi, China’s National Bureau of Statistics, Alcoa, National Statistics, US Commerce Department, US Labor Department, Federal Reserve, University of Michigan, National Association of Realtors Locations: Washington, Wells, Corporate America, chamber’s State, BlackRock, Amazon, Argentina, Japan

☆ Dolly Parton and Cher remind us it’s greater, later
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Something to sip on…Dolly Parton In the film "Rhinestone" in 1984 and Cher in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. Getty ImagesDolly Parton and Cher are both making 77 years old look lovely. The same day Parton was on the football field, Cher performed her new Christmas single “DJ Play a Christmas Song” at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. You should listen to…Sir Paul McCartney performing in 2017. Poet Paul Muldoon collaborated with Sir Paul McCartney on the bestselling book, “The Lyrics: 1965 to Present,” and their relationship is clear in the ease of their conversations on this podcast.

Persons: Lisa Respers, Dolly Parton, Cher, Parton, Diana Ross, Meryl Streep, Sigourney Weaver, Steve Martin, Samuel L, Jackson, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, Kevin Mazur, Giselle Knowles Carter, Beyoncé ”, – she’s, Bey, EGOT, Oscar, Tony, Sir Paul McCartney, “ McCartney, Paul Muldoon, McCartney, ”, … Catherine Tate, David Tennant, Who, ” Peope, Russell T Davies, it’s “ Organizations: CNN, Getty, Dallas Cowboys, ”, Disney Locations: Lisa Respers France, Los Angeles , California, London, England, Atlanta, AFP

NEW YORK (AP) — Most drivers would pay $15 to enter Manhattan’s central business district under a plan released by New York officials Thursday. Officials say that in addition to funding needed transit improvements, congestion pricing will result in improved air quality and reduced traffic. Opponents include taxi drivers, who had pushed for a full exemption. Phil Murphy criticized the traffic mobility board's proposal after some news organizations reported on it Wednesday ahead of its official release. The MTA board will vote on the plan after a series of public hearings scheduled for February 2024.

Persons: ” Carl Weisbrod, Bhairavi Desai, Phil Murphy, George Washington, Murphy Organizations: New, Revenue, Traffic, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Government, MTA, New York City Taxi Workers Alliance, ” New, ” New Jersey Gov, George Washington Bridge Locations: New Jersey, United States, Manhattan, London, Stockholm, New York City, U.S, New York, ”, ” New Jersey

☆ OpenAI’s New Board Takes Over and Says Microsoft Will Have Observer Role
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Deepa Seetharaman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

OpenAI said late Tuesday that Sam Altman will return to the artificial-intelligence company as CEO, with a new initial board. WSJ reporter Tom Dotan analyzes the latest developments. Photo: John G Mabanglo/ShutterstockOpenAI’s new board formally took over on Wednesday and said it would add an observer role for partner Microsoft , capping a dramatic chapter for the artificial-intelligence startup and launching a new phase of difficult decisions. The new board’s initial three members were decided as part of CEO Sam Altman ’s return last week after the previous board abruptly fired him. The replacement directors’ priorities include creating an independent committee to review the events around Altman’s ouster, said Bret Taylor , the board’s chairman.

Persons: OpenAI, Sam Altman, Tom Dotan, John G Mabanglo, Sam Altman ’, Bret Taylor Organizations: Microsoft

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly fell Wednesday although a strong report on U.S. consumer confidence and hopes the Federal Reserve is finished with its aggressive interest rate hikes sent shares higher on Wall Street. Food delivery company Meituan's Hong Kong-traded shares dropped 11% after it forecast its revenue will fall in the current quarter. The loosening grip from inflation and a resilient economy have raised hopes that the Fed might finally be finished with raising its benchmark interest rate. Hopes that the Fed will keep its benchmark interest rate steady were reaffirmed Tuesday by Christopher Waller, a member of the Fed’s Board of Governors. The Fed will meet again in December to update its interest rate policy.

Persons: Australia's, Hang Seng, Matthew Weller, Forex.com, Brent, Tesla, Christopher Waller, “, ” Waller, Damian J, Troise, Alex Veiga Organizations: TOKYO, Reserve, Nikkei, China Evergrande, Benchmark, New York Mercantile Exchange, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Microsoft, GE Healthcare Technologies, Treasury, Federal Reserve, Fed’s, Governors, American Enterprise Institute, U.S ., AP Business Locations: Hong, Shanghai, Hong Kong, China, OPEC, Washington

☆ OpenAI officially announces Sam Altman has returned as CEO and Microsoft gains a non-voting board seat
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( David Goldman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Twelve days after OpenAI fired Sam Altman as CEO, the company formally announced that it has hired him back. OpenAI called the new board “initial,” signaling that it will add more directors in the future. Altman, in a company blog post, thanked the previous board that fired him for their contributions to the company. In a post on X, Altman acknowledged “real misunderstandings” between him and members of the board. “For my part, it is incredibly important to learn from this experience and apply those learnings as we move forward as a company,” Altman wrote on X.

Persons: OpenAI, Sam Altman, Bret Taylor, Larry Summers, Adam D’Angelo, Altman, Greg Brockman, Satya Nadella, Mira Murati, Murati, Twitch, Emmett Shear, —, Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, Sustkever, Ilya, ” Altman, OpenAI didn’t, “, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, Microsoft Locations: New York, OpenAI

Consumers grew somewhat more optimistic about the future of the economy in November as expectations about inflation improved, but their sense of the current state of affairs worsened a bit. Still, two-thirds of consumers surveyed still expect a recession to be “somewhat” or “very likely” within the next 12 months. However, that is well above current inflation of 3.2% and forecasts from the Federal Reserve and mainstream economists. In the peak hour from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. EST, consumers spent $15.7 million a minute, according to online analytics firm Adobe. One thing that might make some consumers happy is that home prices continued to increase in September.

Persons: ”, Dana Peterson, ” Peterson, Jeffrey Roach, Craig J, Lazzara, Lisa Sturtevant Organizations: Conference, Federal Reserve, LPL, “, Adobe, MLS Locations: Detroit, San Diego

Tokyo and Hong Kong fell while Shanghai, Seoul and Sydney gained. U.S. futures and oil prices edged higher. Meanwhile, the broader economy has remained strong enough in the face of rising interest rates and inflation to avoid a recession. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong slipped 0.8% to 17,381.14. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which influences interest rates on mortgages and other loans, fell to 4.38% from 4.47% late Friday.

Persons: ” Robert Carnell, Min Joo Kang, Sensetime, Grizzly, Kospi, Australia's Organizations: Sydney, Conference, FactSet, Federal, Federal Reserve, U.S, ING Economics, Nikkei, Grizzly Research, Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Treasury, New York Mercantile Exchange, Brent, Investors, U.S . Locations: BANGKOK, Asia, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, China

(AP) — Jean Knight, a New Orleans born soul singer known for her 1971 hit “Mr. Family, friends, fans and veterans of the music world mourned the loss of the Grammy-nominated singer who was considered a musical powerhouse and an integral part of New Orleans' music legacy. Knight died Wednesday of natural causes in Tampa, Florida, where she was residing, said family representative Mona Giamanco. The Stax Museum of American Soul Music said in a news release that Knight was Stax Records' top-selling female artist. Big Stuff” Knight went on to record several more albums — including ones that featured songs “(Don’t Mess With) My Toot Toot” and “Bill" — and former her own label, Comstar.

Persons: — Jean Knight, ”, Knight, Mona Giamanco, “ Jean Knight's, “ Mr, Bill, —, Reginald Toussaint, Allen Toussaint —, Toussaint Organizations: Associated Press, Stax Museum, American, Music, Stax Records, New Orleans Jazz Locations: BATON ROUGE, La, New Orleans, Tampa , Florida, Mardi Gras

☆ Drake Returns to No. 1 as Dolly Parton Opens Big With ‘Rockstar’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Ben Sisario | More About Ben Sisario | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

1 on Billboard’s album chart this week thanks to an expanded edition, while Dolly Parton notches her highest chart position ever. Six weeks ago, “For All the Dogs” opened at the top with big streaming numbers, and it has held in the Top 5 since. Last week, Drake released a new version of it — the “Scary Hours Edition” — with six new songs, which has sent the album back to No. Incredibly, “Rockstar” becomes Parton’s highest-charting album, and only the third in her storied career to reach the Top 10 of the all-genre Billboard 200 chart. Among Parton’s solo albums, and LPs with her onetime singing partner Porter Wagoner, she has had numerous titles in the Top 10 of Billboard’s country chart, including eight No.

Persons: ”, Dolly Parton, Drake, Taylor Swift’s, Parton, “, Joan Jett, Elton John, Rob Halford, Judas Priest, Paul, Ringo, Rockstar ”, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Porter Wagoner Organizations: “ Rockstar, Roll Hall of Fame, Rockstar Locations: United States

☆ OpenAI’s Cast of Characters
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Jennifer Korn | Paul Glader | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Before OpenAI, Altman was president of Y Combinator, mentoring a host of founders and expanding his network in Silicon Valley. “We are encouraged by the changes to the OpenAI board,” he wrote on X on Wednesday. Mira MuratiNamed by the OpenAI board as Altman’s interim successor on Friday, Murati was replaced by Shear before the weekend was done. In September, she joined the board of directors of Shield AI, a defense technology company building AI pilot technology for aircraft. Will HurdAfter joining the OpenAI board in 2021, Hurd was the third director to exit in 2023.

Persons: OpenAI, Sam Altman, Altman, Elon, Satya Nadella, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Kiko, Emmett Shear, Y, Nadella, ”, Mira Murati, Murati, Shear, “ Mira, ” Nadella, Ilya Sutskever, Brockman, Sutskever, “, we’ve, Adam D’Angelo D’Angelo, Mark Zuckerberg, D’Angelo, Forbes, ” Bret Taylor, Bret Taylor, Elon Musk, Taylor, Justin Kan, Tasha McCauley McCauley, Joseph Gordon, Levitt, McCauley, Greg Brockman Greg Brockman, Peter Thiel, Musk, Helen Toner Toner, AI’s, Toner, Joshua Kushner Kushner, Kushner, Jared Kushner, Karlie Kloss, Charles Kushner, Donald Trump, Larry Summers Summers, Obama, Clinton, Summers, Shivon Zilis, Zilis, Walter Isaacson, Will Hurd, Hurd, Nikki Haley, Reid Hoffman, Hoffman, OpenAI . Hoffman, He’s Organizations: CNN, Stanford University, Microsoft, OpenAI, Colby College, Dartmouth University, Tesla, Time, Phillips Exeter Academy, California Institute of Technology, Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yale University, Justin.tv, GeoSim Systems, Rand Corporation, Centre, Bard College, University of Southern, Harvard University, MIT, Elon, Georgetown’s Center for Security, Emerging Technology, Open, Oscar Health, Memphis Grizzlies, Harvard College, Harvard Business School, Republican, CIA, Allen & Company, Texas, M University, Reid Hoffman LinkedIn, PayPal, LinkedIn, Greylock Partners, SpaceX, Boring Company Locations: Silicon Valley, St, Louis , Missouri, OpenAI, Seattle , Washington, Israel, University of Southern California, North Dakota, Beijing, Georgetown, Canada, United States, Texas, Oxford

☆ OpenAI calls time on alt-governance experiment
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Jonathan Guilford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But the stakes at OpenAI, which develops the potentially world-reshaping ChatGPT, are higher. To stay true to its charter, the board must be ready to take actions that financial backers find intolerable. When it threatened to hire Altman and his staff, it effectively swiped the company out from under the board. Follow @JMAGuilford on XCONTEXT NEWSSam Altman has been reinstated as the chief executive of ChatGPT developer OpenAI, the company said on Nov. 21. The non-profit company that governs the startup had announced on Nov. 17 that its board had decided to fire Altman.

Persons: Sam Altman, –, Mark Zuckerberg, Satya Nadella, Altman, Larry Summers, John Foley, Sharon Lam Organizations: Reuters, Microsoft, OpenAI’s, Google, Thomson Locations: OpenAI

☆ OpenAI’s wild week explained: How the Sam Altman story unfolded
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Diksha Madhok | Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

ET, OpenAI publicly announced that it had fired Altman over concerns that he was not always truthful with the board. Sam Altman, left, appears onstage with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella at OpenAI's first developer conference, on Nov. 6, 2023, in San Francisco. OpenAI’s board was also reportedly having second thoughts and considering asking the ousted CEO to return. Ultimately, Microsoft and Altman appear to be the big winners from the dust-up: Altman will continue leading the firm he helped to found. “We are encouraged by the changes to the OpenAI board,” Nadella said on X.

Persons: Elon, Sam Altman —, —, OpenAI, ChatGPT, Altman, Ilya Sutskever, Greg Brockman, Mira Murati, Altman’s, “, what’s, ” Brockman, Kara Swisher, Sam Altman, Satya Nadella, Barbara Ortutay, Nadella, Brockman, Emmett Shear, Murati, ” Nadella, ”, Justin Sullivan, Bret Taylor, Larry Summers, Adam D’Angelo, Shear, … Organizations: New Delhi CNN, Valley Bank, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI's, Sunday, OpenAI, CNBC, Twitter Locations: New York, New Delhi, OpenAI, San Francisco, San Francisco , California

For much of the past year, OpenAI’s board of directors has been criticized as too small and too divided to effectively govern one of the fastest-growing start-ups in Silicon Valley history. On Friday, the board’s dysfunction spilled into public view when four of its members fired Sam Altman, OpenAI’s popular and powerful chief executive. Mr. Altman, 38, returned to the company on Tuesday night, after days of haggling over his job and over the makeup of the board. The board and Mr. Altman’s allies discussed more than a half dozen options for its future. The departing board wanted to be sure the replacements would be independent thinkers and experienced enough to stand up to Mr. Altman.

Persons: Sam Altman, OpenAI’s, Altman, Altman’s, Laurene Powell Jobs, Steve Jobs, Brian Chesky Organizations: Emerson Locations: Silicon Valley

☆ Opinion | The Unsettling Lesson of the OpenAI Mess
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Ezra Klein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

In my reporting, the best explanation I’ve heard for the board’s decision, as poorly communicated as it was, is that it fired Altman for the precise reason it said it fired Altman. “It would be wise to view any investment in OpenAI Global LLC in the spirit of a donation,” it warned. Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s chief executive, didn’t have the power to stop OpenAI’s board from firing Altman, but he did have the power to render the action hollow. He announced a new advanced innovations division, to be led by Altman (and the OpenAI president Greg Brockman, who resigned in solidarity with Altman) and staffed by any OpenAI employees who’d like to join. By Wednesday, Altman was back as chief executive of OpenAI and all but one of the board members had resigned.

Persons: I’ve, Altman, ”, OpenAI, Helen Toner, ” OpenAI, Satya Nadella, didn’t, Greg Brockman, weirdly, Ilya Sutskever, who’d, —, Meta’s Organizations: Microsoft, Google, OpenAI

☆ OpenAI’s Ineffective Altruists vs. Sam Altman
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Journal Editorial Report: The week’s best and worst from Kim Strassel, Kyle Peterson, Mary O'Grady and Dan Henninger. Images: AP/AFP/Getty Images/Reuters/Zuma Press Composite: Mark KellyCorporate power struggles aren’t rare, and most companies survive them. But the OpenAI board’s sudden ouster of CEO Sam Altman last week looks increasingly like a misguided kamikaze run. Mr. Altman helped launch OpenAI in 2015 with the mission of responsibly developing artificial intelligence to benefit humanity. He has since become the technology’s public face, with media appearances and testimony to Congress.

Persons: Kim Strassel, Kyle Peterson, Mary O'Grady, Dan Henninger, Kelly, Sam Altman, Altman Organizations: Getty, Zuma Locations: Silicon

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