OpenAI Board Considered Anthropic Merger After Altman Ouster

Court documents and deposition testimony from Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI cofounder and former chief scientist, reveal that OpenAI's board considered a merger with rival AI company Anthropic immediately after the board's abrupt firing of CEO Sam Altman in November 2023. The proposed merger would have involved Anthropic's leadership taking control of the combined entity, a move that Sutskever strongly opposed, although other board members, including Helen Toner, were more supportive. Discussions between the boards and Anthropic executives Dario and Daniela Amodei occurred swiftly, with Anthropic expressing enthusiasm but also citing practical challenges that ultimately prevented the merger from advancing. This merger consideration took place amid significant internal turmoil at OpenAI, which included mass employee backlash and investor pressure following Altman's removal. The situation has further fueled the ongoing legal and public feud between Elon Musk and Sam Altman, as Sutskever's deposition is part of Musk's lawsuit against Altman and OpenAI regarding the company's restructuring. These revelations shed light on the high-stakes power struggles within the AI industry and OpenAI’s leadership crisis during a pivotal moment in the company's history.