I know there’s other plausible reasons, but thought I’d use this juicy title.

What does everyone think? As someone who works outside of tech I’m curious to hear the collective thoughts of the tech minds on Lemmy.

  • dgmib@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    It’s ridiculously unusual for a board to actually fire a CEO. Usually if the board thinks a new CEO is needed, even if the CEO doesn’t agree with the decision, there’s a transition plan announced the CEO “stepping down”, or “steps aside”, of the “next phase of growth” or whatever. It has a massive positive spin on it and the departing CEO is paid a ridiculous severance to go along with the plan publicly.

    It’s very negative press to have to outright fire a CEO. Especially in a case like this when the CEO saw the company through the kind of growth that every startup has wet dreams about.

    Something huge happened, and the world is speculating rampantly about what that was.

    • Pratai@lemmy.ca
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      11 months ago

      Okay, so that explains that it is rare, but not why anyone cares about it. I’m sure CEO’s getting fired from companies happen more often than anyone thinks- my question was why does everyone care so much about THIS particular guy.

      • Fubarberry@sopuli.xyz
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        11 months ago

        AI has been the hot stuff in tech for awhile, and as the CEO of openAI (who made chatGPT, starting the AI tech explosion and are current leaders of the AI tech), he’s been the face of AI.

        It’s kinda like if Facebook fired Mark Zuckerberg in the middle of the explosion of social media.

      • livus@kbin.social
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        11 months ago

        I think it’s because we’re interested in OpenAI, and what happened is relevant to its previous governance and/or the direction in which it’s going now.

      • Alto@kbin.social
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        11 months ago

        There’s the potential that the root cause behind the firing could end up having ramifications in the AI/wider tech sector. There’s no evidence pointing towards anything right now so all of this is purely theoretical, but if he was for example somehow covering up major financial issues that severely impact OpenAI, you could see that effect the industry as a whole.

      • BaroqueInMind@kbin.social
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        11 months ago

        The answer is the same for celebrities or monarchs: frankly they make more money than you and live interesting lives from the freedom that provides, which is interesting for people who do not have that same privilege.

        • Pratai@lemmy.ca
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          11 months ago

          He’s not a celebrity or a monarch. He’s a tech dude. So again, what is special about him that is different than any other tech dude that gets fired.

          • BaroqueInMind@kbin.social
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            11 months ago

            If you had any fucking reading comprehension you would have read that it is because he’s wealthy and influential.

            • Pratai@lemmy.ca
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              11 months ago

              And if YOU had any fucking reading comprehension you’d understand that I’m asking why people care about a wealthy tech dude.

              As far as influential…. Tell me: who’s he influencing? Musk can be called wealthy and influential also.

              The majority of people wouldn’t have k own this guy existed a week ago, and now he’s everywhere. I’m curious as to why.

              Hope this helps clear up your confusion.

              • all-knight-party@kbin.run
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                11 months ago

                I mean, the guy headed up probably the largest AI company that exists, with AI being the largest new tech that exists, and has incredible potential to change the world, for the better or worse.

                Purely based on him being at the forefront of the most interesting and novel industry in the world, regardless of anything else about him personally, I’m sure his position in the industry drives more than enough intrigue for people to pay attention to him, at least until they see what happens next.