News of the Cyber World

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Bad news for Remi!

OpenAI Reinstates Sam Altman as CEO 5 Days After Firing Him

CNBC reports that OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, has announced the reinstatement of Sam Altman as CEO, a mere five days after his unexpected firing.

Sam Altman, who became the CEO of OpenAI in 2019, was abruptly fired from his position last week. However, the decision was rapidly overturned following immense pressure from employees and investors. Hundreds of OpenAI staff, including co-founder and board member Ilya Sutskever, vocally demanded the resignation of the remaining board members, threatening to leave if their demands were not met.

Sutskever’s involvement in the employee revolt is particularly interesting given his pivotal role in ousting Altman, which he claims he immediately “regretted.”

The situation took another turn when Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that Altman, along with others from OpenAI, would be joining Microsoft to start a new advanced AI research team. This move suggested a shift in Altman’s career trajectory, aligning him with one of the biggest tech giants globally. However, the recent reinstatement at OpenAI indicates a change in these plans.

OpenAI’s board is experiencing significant changes following Altman’s return. Former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers have joined the board, with Taylor assuming the chair position. Helen Toner, Tasha McCauley, and Ilya Sutskever were removed from the board, each having played a role in Altman’s initial removal.

...the quick reappointment of Altman highlights the influence of internal and external stakeholders including prominent investors like Microsoft, Tiger Global, Thrive Capital, and Sequoia Capital, who reportedly worked behind the scenes to reverse the board’s decision.

Elon Musk’s X/Twitter Files Lawsuit Against Far Left Media Matters

In a case filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, X/Twitter accuses Media Matters of distorting the likelihood of ads appearing next to alleged hate speech on the platform.

“Media Matters knowingly and maliciously manufactured side-by-side images depicting advertisers’ posts on X Corp.’s social media platform beside Neo-Nazi and white-nationalist fringe content and then portrayed these manufactured images as if they were what typical X users experience on the platform,” says X in its complaint.

“Media Matters designed both these images and its resulting media strategy to drive advertisers from the platform and destroy X Corp.”

In a post on X/Twitter, CEO Linda Yaccarino said that “not a single authentic user” saw ads from IBM, Comcast, or Oracle next to the content identified by Media Matters, and only two users saw Apple’s ads next to the content, “at least one of which was Media Matters.”

“Data wins over manipulation or allegations,” said Yaccarino. “Don’t be manipulated. Stand with X.”

...the attorney general of Texas, Ken Paxton, launched an investigation into the far-left nonprofit over potential fraudulent activity.

Regulators Launch Probe into Hyundai and Kia Recalls of 6.4 Million Vehicles

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched a probe Monday into the recalls of 6.4 million Hyundai and Kia vehicles due to brake fluid leaks that could cause fires.

The investigation will look into eight recalls made by each company over issues with their antilock braking systems (ABS) and Hydraulic Electronic Control Units (HECU), both of which were manufactured by the South Korean parts supplier Mando, Automotive News reported.

The 16 individual recalls from Hyundai and Kia covered approximately 6.4 million vehicles, according to Fox Business.

Hyundai Motor America and Kia America issued “park outside” recalls for more than 3.3 million vehicles in September due to the risk of fire, with the NHTSA saying at the time that “the safest place to park them is outside and away from homes and other structures.”

The fires were traced back to internal brake fluid leaks that could sometimes cause electrical shorts, leading to flames.

Robotaxi Fiasco: Kyle Vogt Steps Down as CEO of GM’s Cruise

The company recently announced a significant pause in its operations following a pedestrian collision on October 2, which led to the company’s driverless vehicle permit in California being revoked. While the suspension was originally of just the operation of its autonomous robotaxis, it has extended to robotaxis who have a human safety supervisor in the car.

Reports have also surfaced about Cruise’s robotaxis struggling to detect children and lacking data on child-specific scenarios, raising significant concerns about the technology’s readiness for real-world situations, especially in urban environments where children are common.

TechCrunch reports that Kyle Vogt, the co-founder and CEO of Cruise, has resigned from his leadership role. Vogt’s resignation was announced in an internal email sent to employees, which TechCrunch obtained and reported on.

Vogt’s journey with Cruise began as a startup in a garage, evolving through its acquisition by General Motors. Under his leadership, Cruise has delivered over 250,000 driverless rides across several cities. Dan Kan, who co-founded Cruise alongside Vogt and held a less public-facing role, has also resigned, as confirmed by TechCrunch.

In the wake of these departures, Mo Elshenawy, currently the executive vice president of engineering at Cruise, will take over as president and CTO. Additionally, Jon McNeill, a member of GM’s board, has been appointed vice chairman of the Cruise board, serving alongside Board Chair Mary Barra.