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Microsoft snapped up Sam Altman and another architect of OpenAI for a new venture after their sudden departures shocked the artificial intelligence world, leaving the newly installed CEO of the ChatGPT maker to paper over tensions by vowing to investigate Altman’s firing.
The developments Monday come after a weekend of drama and speculation about how the power dynamics would shake out at OpenAI, whose chatbot kicked off the generative AI era by producing human-like text, images, video and music.
It ended with former Twitch leader Emmett Shear taking over as OpenAI’s interim chief executive and Microsoft announcing it was hiring Altman and OpenAI co-founder and former President Greg Brockman to lead Microsoft’s new advanced AI research team.
Despite the rift between the key players behind ChatGPT and the company they helped build, both Shear and Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella said they are committed to their partnership.
Microsoft invested billions of dollars in the startup and helped provide the computing power to run its AI systems. Nadella wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he was “extremely excited” to bring on the former executives of OpenAI and looked “forward to getting to know” Shear and the rest of the management team.
In a reply on X, Altman said “the mission continues,” while Brockman posted, “We are going to build something new & it will be incredible.”
OpenAI said Friday that Altman was pushed out after a review found he was “not consistently candid in his communications” with the board of directors, which had lost confidence in his ability to lead the company.
In an X post Monday, Shear said he would hire an independent investigator to look into what led up to Altman’s ouster and write a report within 30 days.
“It’s clear that the process and communications around Sam’s removal has been handled very badly, which has seriously damaged our trust,” wrote Shear, who co-founded Twitch, an Amazon-owned livestreaming service popular with video gamers.
He said he also plans in the next month to “reform the management and leadership team in light of recent departures into an effective force” and speak with employees, investors and customers.
After that, Shear said he would “drive changes in the organization,” including “significant governance changes if necessary.” He noted that the reason behind the board removing Altman was not a “specific disagreement on safety.”
OpenAI last week declined to answer questions on what Altman’s alleged lack of candor was about. Its statement said his behavior was hindering the board’s ability to exercise its responsibilities.
An OpenAI spokeswoman didn’t immediately reply to an email Monday seeking comment. A Microsoft representative said the company would not be commenting beyond its CEO’s statement.
After Altman was pushed out Friday, he stirred speculation that he might be coming back into the fold in a series of tweets. He posted a photo of himself with an OpenAI guest pass on Sunday, saying this is “first and last time i ever wear one of these.”
Hours earlier, he tweeted, “i love the openai team so much,” which drew heart replies from Brockman, who quit after Altman was fired, and Mira Murati, OpenAI’s chief technology officer who was initially named as interim CEO.
It’s not clear what transpired between the announcement of Murati’s interim role Friday and Shear’s hiring, though she was among several employees on Monday who tweeted, “OpenAI is nothing without its people.” Altman replied to many with heart emojis.
Shear said he stepped down as Twitch CEO because of the birth of his now-9-month-old son but “took this job because I believe that OpenAI is one of the most important companies currently in existence.”
His beliefs on the future of AI came up on a podcast in June. Shear said he’s generally an optimist about technology but has serious concerns about the path of artificial intelligence toward building something “a lot smarter than us” that sets itself on a goal that endangers humans.
It’s an issue that Altman consistently faced since he helped catapult ChatGPT to global fame. In the past year, he has become Silicon Valley’s most sought-after voice on the promise and potential dangers of artificial intelligence.
He went on a world tour to meet with government officials earlier this year, drawing big crowds at public events as he discussed both the risks of AI and attempts to regulate the emerging technology.
Altman posted Friday on X that “i loved my time at openai” and later called his ouster a “weird experience.”
“If Microsoft lost Altman he could have gone to Amazon, Google, Apple, or a host of other tech companies craving to get the face of AI globally in their doors,” Daniel Ives, an analyst with Wedbush Securities, said in a research note.
Microsoft is now in an even stronger position on AI, Ives said. Its shares rose nearly 2% before the opening bell and were nearing an all-time high Monday.
The Associated Press and OpenAI have a licensing and technology agreement allowing OpenAI access to part of the AP’s text archives.
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Source: Microsoft / Xbox / Activision Blizzard
After months of court battles, unfortunate document leaks, and social media discourse, Microsoft can officially welcome Activision Blizzard into the fold.
Call of Duty, Diablo, Overwatch, World of Warcraft, Starcraft, Candy Crush, and other titles have a new home: Xbox. Friday, October 13, Xbox Wire shared a post announcing the news Team Xbox has been waiting months, if not years, to hear the $69 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition is a done deal.
Phil Spencer happily announced in the blog post that Xbox is now working on bringing Activision Blizzard’s library of games to Game Pass.
“Today we start the work to bring beloved Activision, Blizzard, and King franchises to Game Pass and other platforms. We’ll share more about when you can expect to play in the coming months. We know you’re excited – and we are too,” Spencer said.
PlayStation & Nintendo Gamers, Y’all Are Safe… For Now
The Xbox Chief also reassured the millions of gamers on other platformers.
“For the millions of fans who love Activision, Blizzard, and King games, we want you to know that today is a good day to play,” he said. “You are the heart and soul of these franchises, and we are honored to have you as part of our community. Whether you play on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, PC or mobile, you are welcome here – and will remain welcome, even if Xbox isn’t where you play your favorite franchise. Because when everyone plays, we all win. We believe our news today will unlock a world of possibilities for more ways to play. Thank you for the ongoing support. We have so much more to come in the months ahead – I’m excited for the future and cannot wait to share it with you.”
With the deal finally closing, that doesn’t mean Call of Duty and Diablo are going to Game Pass immediately. Activision Blizzard made it clear that Modern Warfare 3 and Diablo IV would not be on the gaming streaming service.
Call of Duty Is Coming To Ubisoft+
But thanks to a deal with Ubisoft granting the publisher cloud streaming rights, which helped Xbox secure the deal, Ubisoft announced Call of Duty and other Activision Blizzard games will be coming to Ubisoft+.
“In August, Ubisoft announced an agreement with Microsoft granting the publisher the perpetual cloud streaming rights for Call of Duty and all other current Activision Blizzard games and those released over the next 15 years once Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is complete,” the blog post begins.
Sayonara Bobby Kotich
Also, with the news of the deal closing, current problematic Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is on his way out. In an email to his employees, he announced he is staying until the end of 2023 to help with the transition period.
“I have long said that I am fully committed to helping with the transition,” says Kotick in the email to Activision Blizzard employees. “Phil has asked me to stay on as CEO of ABK, reporting to him, and we have agreed that I will do that through the end of 2023. We both look forward to working together on a smooth integration for our teams and players.”
Congrats to Team Xbox and Activision Blizzard.
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Photo: Microsoft / Xbox / Activision Blizzard
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Source: Microsoft / Xbox Series X ‘Brooklin’
Another massive leak, spilling some juicy Xbox details, has the video game world buzzing.
An FTC leak has produced documents detailing some of Xbox’s future plans and another massive acquisition. The biggest news from the leak was that Xbox plans to drop what it calls a “console refresh” of the Xbox Series X called ‘Brooklin.’
It has been confirmed that it was Microsoft were the one’s who “leaked” the information after accidentally loading it onto a government website, per Bloomberg’s reporting.
Anyway, Brooklin is a new Xbox Series X console version that ditches the original “box shape” small fridge look for a new circular design plus a much-needed increased internal storage of 2TB.
Gamesradar reports that the “console refresh” will have the same price as the previous console with tweaks like a faster wireless connection, more storage as mentioned above, eco-friendly features to reduce the console’s carbon footprint, ditching the disc drive, and even an updated controller that could finally bring it on par, or close to the greatness that is the PS5’s DualSense controller.
The new controller, code-named Sebille, is “more immersive” and will feature gyro support, Bluetooth 5.2, and a direct Cloud connection. There will also be “precision haptic feedback” that doubles as speakers.
“Improved longevity” is also a feature of the Sebille controller, thanks to new modular thumbsticks.
According to the leaks, the controller will launch sometime in August 2024, around the same time as E3 2024, when the company was set to reveal its latest offerings to the video game world.
There are also plans for an Xbox Series S refresh due in August, with the Brooklin console coming in late October, right in time for Black Friday and the Christmas shopping season.
Phil Spencer Was Dreaming of Video Game Domination
The new console and controller weren’t the only news about the FTC leak. According to leaked emails, Xbox Chief Phil Spencer wanted to bring Nintendo into the Xbox ecosystem.
In the August 2020 email sent right before Microsoft bought Bethesda’s parent company ZeniMax, Spencer called a possible acquisition of Nintendo “a career moment.”
Spencer’s lust didn’t stop there. He also expressed interest in Steam owner Valve and Warner Bros’ collection of game studios like Mortal Kombat developer NetherRealm Studios and Rocksteady, the game studio behind the Batman Arkham Series.
Per IGN:
“Nintendo is THE prime asset for us in gaming and today gaming is our most likely path to consumer relevance,” Spencer wrote in the email.
“I’ve had numerous conversations with the LT of Nintendo about tighter collaboration and feel like if any US company would have a chance with Nintendo we are probably in the best position.”
However, Spencer outlined a number of blocks on the merger, including the fact Nintendo seemed uninterested in selling up. Nintendo is “sitting on a big pile of cash”, Spencer said, and was apparently happy with its current position. As a result, Spencer said he couldn’t “see an angle” on a buyout in the short term, adding: “I don’t think a hostile action would be a good move… so we are playing the long game.”
Well damn.
You can see more reactions to the leaks in the gallery below.
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Photo: Microsoft / Xbox Series X ‘Brooklin’
2. Interesting
3. Looks like Tom was right.
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Source: UHHM / UHHM
In an exclusive interview, we got the chance to speak with Rocky Bucano, the director of the Universal Hip-Hop Museum about the institution’s plans this year for Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary.
This year, Hip-Hop has officially been in existence for 50 years, and there’s already been a few numerous events that are celebrating and amplifying the culture. At the center of these celebrations stands the Universal Hip Hop Museum, an institution that has been years in the making in the culture’s birthplace of the Bronx, New York. It has been a long journey that will culminate in the completion of the museum’s permanent home at Bronx Point, projected for the summer of 2024.
A respected music industry veteran with strong ties to Hip-Hop dating back to his founding of Strong City Records with DJ Jazzy Jay to working with LaFace Records before venturing into television and community initiatives, UHHM’s Executive Director Rocky Bucano has been hard at work collaborating with many individuals, artists, and companies to make the UHHM a reality. We recently had a chance to speak with him about the plans for the museum as Hip-Hop celebrates this landmark year and beyond.
Hip-Hop Wired: Hip-Hop is celebrating 50 years of existence, and many are paying rightful tribute and homage to the culture. For you, as someone who’s been such an integral part of this culture, how does it feel witnessing all of this taking place with the celebrations and the continued journey of UHHM, how does that make you feel?
Rocky Bucano: I’m deeply blessed and honored to be one of the few people who have seen Hip-Hop from before it was Hip-Hop to where Hip Hop is today. Being the executive director of the University Hip-Hop Museum, it becomes almost an obligation, because I’ve seen the entire journey of Hip-Hop, right? To make sure that we have one of the best museums in the world to celebrate and preserve the global history of the culture. I’m so excited and blessed to be in this position. And I look forward to the next 50 years, even after the museum is open. You know, Hip-Hop has done so much for so many people, including myself. So I’m just so excited to be in this position and to see this museum coming to the finish line.
HHW: With the current exhibition, The [R]Evolution of Hip Hop “Golden Era” 1986-1990 open now – which I feel everyone has to visit at least once – what further activations and events do you and UHHM have planned this year?
Bucano: So we are the official partner of Mayor Adams and his administration to produce and curate a variety of different programs and events to celebrate the 50th anniversary. We have a women’s empowerment program coming up later this month, which will be at the Billie Holiday Theater (in Brooklyn). We’re doing health and wellness programs, we’re doing social justice outreach programs, and small business workshops. But the big one we’re working on is a celebratory concert to celebrate 50 years of Hip-Hop. Right now, the plan is to do it in Central Park, but it might be Yankee Stadium, so stay tuned for that.
And then we will be opening up a traveling museum that will start here in New York City. Later this year, so hopefully around August 10 of this year, we’ll be putting that up and that will stay open until the actual museum opens up at the Bronx Point. The traveling museum will debut in Manhattan, so we’re working on a location now.
HHW: That sounds amazing. And that ties into the final question that I have for you. In terms of further projects that have been completed, with the highly interactive components in the exhibits at your current space are we going to see further virtual collaborations like you’ve done in the past with Microsoft, like with Metaverse and Facebook under Meta as well?
Bucano: Great question. So you know, we have a Metaverse, a virtual museum that was accessed accessible through alt space. We were working with Microsoft, but they decided to sunset their alt-space division. So now we’re moving our Metaverse virtual museum over to Spatial, and we’re working with the team there on that. We’ll probably have some virtual projects and programs ready to go later this spring and early summer. Pretty excited about that. And we’re exploring how to use AI and all of the available tech experiences including ChatGPT. We’re right there trying to use the most advanced technology. We want to make sure that we’re curating and celebrating Hip-Hop history with new technology.
For more information on upcoming events at the Universal Hip-Hop Museum, visit their website.
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Source: Joe Buglewicz / Getty / Sony
The ongoing battle between Sony and Microsoft over this Activision Blizzard acquisition continues to get weird.
Sony has numerous concerns about Microsoft’s still stalled acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and now thanks to a PDF, we know every one of them.
In the documents sent to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Sony says it fears that Microsoft could raise the price of Call of Duty, make it exclusive to its Xbox Game Pass service, and sabotage the game so that it runs poorly on PlayStation consoles.
To be more specific, Sony hints at Microsoft releasing a Call of Duty game on PlayStation full of bugs and errors.
Sony’s claims in its documents:
Microsoft might release a PlayStation version of Call of Duty where bugs and errors emerge only on the game’s final level or after later updates. Even if such degradations could be swiftly detected, any remedy would likely come too late, by which time the gaming community would have lost confidence in PlayStation as a go-to venue to play Call of Duty. Indeed, as Modern Warfare II attests, Call of Duty is most often purchased in just the first few weeks of release. If it became known that the game’s performance on PlayStation was worse than on Xbox, Call of Duty gamers could decide to switch to Xbox, for fear of playing their favourite game at a second-class or less competitive venue.
It remains unclear if Sony means that Microsoft would intentionally wreck the game or do the whole “plays best on Xbox” thing because it will own the franchise if the acquisition goes through.
Still, Sony has fears Microsoft could sabotage COD on PlayStation in multiple ways by “degrading the quality and performance of Call of Duty on PlayStation compared to Xbox”; “degrading Call of Duty to ignore PlayStation-specific features (eg. better controller haptics)”; or “restricting, degrading, or not investing in the multiplayer experience on PlayStation.”
None of This Makes Any Sense For Microsoft Financially
While these are legit concerns, financially and optically, it makes no sense for Microsoft to do such a thing even if they wanted to.
Sony is also very concerned about the Xbox Game Pass exclusivity for Call of Duty, fearing Microsoft would prevent the company from putting the game on its subscription service.
Ironically in documents submitted by Microsoft, they claim the exact opposite, with Microsoft claiming “any CoD Game in a Microsoft multi-game subscription is eligible for inclusion in Sony’s multi-game subscription service, at the same time and for the same duration.”
Sony is scoffing at that deal because it does not care about the licensing terms or pricing, adding the terms “would commercially destroy Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) multigame subscription business model.”
MS Has Made Two Big Offers To Ease Regulator’s Concerns
Microsoft did extend a 10-year offer to Sony to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation, but the Japanese company has yet to sign the deal. Microsoft secured a 10-year agreement with Nintendo hours before meeting with the EU regulators and reached a similar deal with Nvidia in what many saw as a way to put more pressure on Sony.
Sony remains firm in its stance, writing in its documents, “Microsoft has not shown any real commitment to reaching a negotiated outcome. they had dragged their feet, engaged only when they sensed the regulatory outlook was darkening and favored negotiating in the media over engaging with SIE.”
Still, Microsoft’s decision to strike deals with Nintendo and Nvidia seems to have worked, as the EU will reportedly approve the $68.7 billion acquisition deal.
That leaves the United States as the last remaining hurdle.
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Photo: Joe Buglewicz / Getty
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Source: JASON REDMOND / Getty / Microsoft
ChatGPT, the OpenAi-developed chatbot that has some folks in the education sector spooked is not going away anytime soon. Two of tech’s biggest companies, Google and Microsoft, are also jumping into the game.
Today in a huge surprise, Microsoft announced the arrival of its ChatGPT-powered version of its less-than-popular search engine Bing during a surprise event at the company’s Redmond headquarters, and it’s available as a limited preview on desktop.
Visiting Bing.com, you will be presented with some example searches that you can try out. The Bing search will show traditional results on the left and a chat window on the right with AI-generated answers.
Since it’s in preview mode, you will not be able to ask follow-up questions or get clarification of the results. If you’re interested, you can join a waitlist by going here.
If you sign in with your Microsoft account, download the Bing app, and set Microsoft to default on your PC, you will get priority, the tech giant announced. An email will be sent to you notifying you when you can access the new chat feature.
Microsoft also announced a new version of its web browser Edge that will feature OpenAI integration, allowing the browser to summarize PDFs, generate code, and compose posts on social media.
Google Is Coming With Bard
Microsoft’s announcement comes one day after Google revealed it is working on a ChatGPT rival called Bard. Unlike Microsoft’s, Google’s “experimental conversational AI service” will be only tested by a limited group, The Verge reports.
“Bard can be an outlet for creativity, and a launchpad for curiosity, helping you to explain new discoveries from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to a 9-year-old, or learn more about the best strikers in football right now, and then get drills to build your skills,” Google CEO, Sundar Pichai said in a blog post.
It’s quickly looking like ChatGPT and other OpenAI chatbots will soon become the norm.
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Photo: ASON REDMOND / Getty
Microsoft is the latest technology giant to lay off scores of employees as the entire sector continues to restructure itself in the name of profitability over growth.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that the company will lay off approximately 10,000 employees, beginning Wednesday. The layoffs, which will be completed by the end of Q3, will represent a bit less than five percent of the company’s workforce.
Nadella said that affected employees will receive “above-market severance pay, continuing healthcare coverage for six months, continued vesting of stock awards for six months, career transition services and 60 days’ notice prior to termination, regardless of whether such notice is legally required.”
Microsoft is a video game giant, owning the gaming platform Xbox and studios like Bungie and games like Minecraft. It is also in the midst of a proposed $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard, which is facing regulatory opposition.
Microsoft is also seeking to become a major player in advertising and is Netflix’s global ad sales and technology partner.
In his memo, Nadella outlined the rationale for the cuts, hitting similar themes to other CEOs over the last few months.
“As we saw customers accelerate their digital spend during the pandemic, we’re now seeing them optimize their digital spend to do more with less,” he wrote. “We’re also seeing organizations in every industry and geography exercise caution as some parts of the world are in a recession and other parts are anticipating one. At the same time, the next major wave of computing is being born with advances in AI, as we’re turning the world’s most advanced models into a new computing platform.”
Microsoft is just the latest tech giant to cut back. Amazon said earlier this month it would cut 18,000 employees, while Facebook and Instagram owner Meta announced plans to cut 11,000 employees last year. Snap, Twitter and Netflix also made significant cuts last year.
But Nadella also sought to rally the troops as the company moves forward.
“When I think about this moment in time, the start of 2023, it’s showtime—for our industry and for Microsoft. As a company, our success must be aligned to the world’s success,” he wrote. “That means every one of us and every team across the company must raise the bar and perform better than the competition to deliver meaningful innovation that customers, communities, and countries can truly benefit from. If we deliver on this, we will emerge stronger and thrive long into the future; it’s as simple as that.”
Read Nadella’s memo on THR.com