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Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, attends the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in San Francisco, California, U.S. November 16, 2023.

Carlos Barria | Reuters

A wide swath of Silicon Valley has hitched its hopes and fortunes over the past few years to the kind of generative artificial intelligence technologies that OpenAI helped popularize.

Many industry experts point to the debut of ChatGPT late last year as an iPhone-like moment, ushering a potential shift in the way people interact with computers via written prompts that can produce creative, seemingly human-like text.

Just as Apple had the late Steve Jobs acting as the company’s esteemed figurehead, articulating the appeal of the iPhone and personal computers to the masses, so too did OpenAI have its own charismatic leader in Sam Altman.

With Altman out as CEO — at least for now — after his sudden firing on Friday, the Apple comparisons are flowing freely. Jobs was fired as CEO of Apple in 1985, a move that lives in Silicon Valley lore, since it was after his return in 1997 that Apple found the path that eventually made it the most valuable company in the U.S.

Altman, who previously ran startup accelerator Y Combinator, has spent the past year cozying up to world leaders and making routine appearances at tech events, turning the 38-year-old executive into an industry celebrity, in the mold of Jobs, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Along with Altman, OpenAI’s board removed Greg Brockman from his role as chairman. Later Friday, Brockman said he was quitting the company.

“What happened at OpenAI today is a Board coup that we have not seen the likes of since 1985 when the then-Apple board pushed out Steve Jobs,” longtime startup investor Ron Conway said Friday evening in an X post. “It is shocking; it is irresponsible; and it does not do right by Sam & Greg or all the builders in OpenAI.”

Efforts are already underway by OpenAI investors to get Altman back, according to people familiar with the matter. Microsoft, Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital and Thrive Capital are among a number of OpenAI’s top backers that are trying to reinstate Altman, said the people, who asked not to be named because discussions are confidential. The Verge reported on Saturday that Altman is “ambivalent” about the possibility of returning.

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky referred to Altman in an X post as “one of the best founders of his generation” who “has made an immense contribution to our industry.”

Silicon Valley reacts to OpenAI

Matt Schlicht, the CEO of the startup Octane AI, told CNBC that Altman and Brockman, who was formerly the chief technology office of Stripe, “made a technology available that we’d only ever dreamed about” and called it “the most exciting and powerful development of our lifetime.”

Octane is one of many new startups using the so-called large language models that OpenAI packages under its GPT family of software tools. Schlicht said the technology has so far “enabled us to put human-level intelligence inside of our code, and because of that we have helped entrepreneurs generate over half a billion in revenue.”

“I’ve known both Sam and Greg for over a decade, they are incredible and inspiring leaders,” Schlicht said. “After hearing about their untimely departure I was immediately filled with sadness. Innovation in the world was suddenly halted.”

OpenAI Co-Founder Greg Brockman reportedly quits after Sam Altman departure

Ryan Jannsen, CEO of Zenlytic, shared Schlicht’s sentiment.

“The AI community is reeling,” Jannsen said, adding that technologists are confused about the circumstances related to Altman’s firing and what it means for OpenAI going forward.

“Sam and OpenAI were the catalyst that showed the world what AI tech is capable of,” Jannsen said. “A huge amount of the excitement and activity in AI today is very directly thanks to their pioneering work.”

Whether or not Altman returns, the turmoil at OpenAI could give rivals an advantage in what’s quickly become a highly competitive market for advanced LLMs. From heavily funded startups like Anthropic and Cohere to cloud computing giants Google and Amazon, companies will likely be “looking for the next best alternative,” given the perceived instability at OpenAI, said industry analyst Patrick Moorhead.

“They’re not the only game in town,” Moorhead said.

Josh Wolfe, a partner at venture firm Lux Capital, said OpenAI is taking a huge reputational hit at a time when companies are deciding what models they’re going to use as building blocks.

“There was a perception of steady, predictable, reliable reputable progress and engagement and communication with industry,” Wolfe said. “The surprise capriciousness of the move signals total unpredictability, which is terrible for companies making plans to work with or trust OpenAI.”

OpenAI’s unusual structure

A big part of the challenge in understanding OpenAI is its unusual company structure. The board of OpenAI oversees the nonprofit, of which the corporate entity is a part, and “acts as the overall governing body for all OpenAI activities,” according to the blog post announcing Altman’s ouster.

The post said that a “deliberative review process by the board” concluded that Altman “was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities.” 

Silicon Valley’s high-profile startup CEO firings typically involve wrongdoing, rather than just philosophical differences about where the company is headed.

Several investors told CNBC that OpenAI’s hybrid model presented a red flag from the beginning, in part because incentives can too easily be misaligned. Now, they said, the company risks severe brain drain if top talent chooses to follow Altman to his next project or a competitor in the industry.

Altman, meanwhile, has the advantage of having made such a name for himself that he’d have no problem raising money for a new project from investors who view him as the next great tech luminary.

“Sam Altman is a hero of mine,” former Google CEO and investor Eric Schmidt said in an X post. “He built a company from nothing to $90 Billion in value, and changed our collective world forever. I can’t wait to see what he does next. I, and billions of people, will benefit from his future work- it’s going to be simply incredible.”

Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, arrives for the Inaugural AI Insight Forum in Russell Building on Capitol Hill, on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023.

Tom Williams | Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images

Airbnb’s Chesky wrote that he’d spoken with Altman and Brockman and that they have his “full support.”

“I’m saddened by what’s transpired,” Chesky wrote. “They, and the rest of the OpenAI team, deserve better. He added in a separate post that Altman is “one of the best founders of his generation.”

As for Microsoft, whose CEO Satya Nadella was reportedly caught off guard by the shakeup, several venture capitalists were surprised that the company could be so unaware of what was brewing given the billions they’ve invested in the company.

“I imagine Microsoft might ask for a board seat next time they decide to plow $15 billion into a startup,” said Zachary Lipton, a Carnegie Mellon University professor of machine learning and operations research.

Industry analyst Moorhead said Microsoft could “figure out how to buy this company and how to put Sam in charge.”

“That’s the first play, it’s potentially finding ways to remove the current board of directors, reinstall new board of directors and then bring Sam and company back in — making sure the band stays together,” Moorhead said.

Regardless of the current chaos, Carnegie Mellon’s Lipton said he expects investors to remain bullish on AI.

“This story has elements of corporate and ideological discord, but not even a whiff of diminished promise,” Lipton said.

— CNBC’s Lora Kolodny contributed to this report

WATCH: OpenAI says Sam Altman exiting as CEO because ‘board no longer has confidence.’

OpenAI says Sam Altman exits as CEO after board loses confidence

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CrowdStrike falls 9% on disappointing earnings forecast

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CrowdStrike falls 9% on disappointing earnings forecast

George Kurtz, co-founder and CEO of CrowdStrike Holdings Inc., during a Bloomberg Technology television interview at the RSA Conference in San Francisco on April 26, 2023.

David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images

CrowdStrike shares dropped nearly 9% in extended trading on Tuesday after the cybersecurity software provider issued disappointing earnings guidance.

Here’s what the company reported compared to LSEG estimates:

  • Earnings per share: $1.03. The number doesn’t to appear to be comparable to analysts’ estimates.
  • Revenue: $1.06 billion vs. $1.03 billion

Revenue increased 25% from $845.3 million a year earlier, and the company posted a net loss of $92.3 billion, or 37 cents per share. In the year-ago period, the company posted net income of $53.7 million, or 22 cents per share.

For the year, CrowdStrike said it expects earnings, excluding some items, to range between $3.33 and $3.45 per share, falling short of the $4.42 expected by analysts polled by LSEG. First-quarter earnings are expected to be between 64 cents and 66 cents per share, versus the average estimate of 95 cents.

Despite the after-hours drop, CrowdStrike topped some metrics from Wall Street. The company posted $4.24 billion in annual recurring revenue, reflecting 23% growth. That topped the $4.21 billion estimate from analysts surveyed by StreetAccount and included $224 million in net annual recurring revenue.

Revenue guidance was roughly in line with estimates. CrowdStrike said it expects revenue of between $4.74 billion and $4.81 billion for the year, versus an LSEG estimate of $4.77 billion.

The earnings release comes almost eight months after a technology update from the company led to a global IT outage that grounded flights, disrupted businesses and led to class action lawsuits.

CEO George Kurtz said in the press release that artificial intelligence is becoming more important in stopping cyberattacks.

“As businesses of all sizes rapidly adopt AI, stopping the breach necessitates cybersecurity’s AI-native platform,” Kurtz said.

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Okta pops more than 20% on strong earnings and guidance beat

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Okta pops more than 20% on strong earnings and guidance beat

Todd McKinnon, CEO of Okta Inc., smiles during a Bloomberg Technology television interview in San Francisco on April 4, 2022.

David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Okta shares soared 22% on Tuesday after the cloud-based identity management company delivered strong fourth-quarter earnings and beat estimates on guidance.

The move put the stock on pace for its best day in more than a year.

Okta posted adjusted earnings late Monday of 78 cents per share, while revenue increased 13% from a year earlier to $682 million. That beat the average analyst estimates of 73 cents per share in earnings and $669.6 million in revenue, according to LSEG.

First-quarter revenue should come in between $678 million and $680 million, which also topped estimates.

On the company’s earnings call, CEO Todd McKinnon called it a “blowout quarter” as bookings topped $1 billion in a single period for the first time.

“We’re excited about the momentum we’ve built going into FY 2026 and are taking the right steps to advance our position as the leader in the identity market,” McKinnon said. “More and more customers are looking to consolidate their disparate and ineffective identity systems, and Okta is there to meet them with the most comprehensive identity security platform in the market today,” McKinnon added.

Okta allows companies to manage employee access or devices by providing tools such as single sign-on and multifactor authentication. Shares have rallied about 35% this year, including Tuesday’s pop, after slumping 13% in 2024. In late 2023, Okta suffered a high-profile data breach that gave access to client files through a support system.

Some Wall Street firms turned more positive on the stock after the latest results, with both D.A. Davidson and Mizuho upgrading their ratings. D.A. Davidson called the likelihood of double-digit growth “durable” as the company shows signs of stabilization.

Mizuho’s Gregg Moskowitz said the firm “underestimated” the upside to committed remaining performance obligations, or subscription backlog that the company expects to recognize as revenue over the next year.

“More broadly, OKTA continues to be a clear leader in the critically important identity management market,” Moskowitz wrote. “And we now have a higher confidence level that OKTA will increasingly benefit from its group of newer products that have already begun to drive a meaningful contribution.”

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‘Music to our ears’: Qualcomm CEO welcomes TSMC’s $100 billion investment to boost U.S. chipmaking

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'Music to our ears': Qualcomm CEO welcomes TSMC's 0 billion investment to boost U.S. chipmaking

We're at the beginning of a 'significant upgrade' for AI smartphones, Qualcomm CEO says

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.‘s $100 billion commitment to expand manufacturing in the U.S. is “great news,” Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon told CNBC on Tuesday, adding it helps with diversification of chipmaking locations.

Amon also addressed U.S President Donald Trump’s tariff policy, suggesting longer term technology trends would outweigh any short term uncertainty.

Trump announced on Monday that TSMC would invest $100 billion in the U.S. which would go toward building more chip fabrication plants in Arizona. TSMC is the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturer and supplies chips to the likes of Qualcomm, Apple and Nvidia.

The U.S., under leadership of both Trump and former President Joe Biden, has sought to bring more cutting-edge chip manufacturing to American soil on the grounds that it is a matter of national and economic security to have these advanced technologies made closer to home.

Many in the technology industry have backed these plans, including Qualcomm.

“Look, this is great news,” Amon said. “It shows that semiconductors are important. It’s going to be important for … the economy. Economic security means access to semiconductors. More manufacturing is music to our ears.”

Amon said that some of Qualcomm’s chips are already manufactured in TSMC’s existing plants in Arizona and in the future, the company will get more semiconductors made in the U.S.

“TSMC is a great supplier of manufacturing for Qualcomm. They have a facility in Arizona. We already have chips built in Arizona. The more capacity that they put we’re going to use it, same way we’ve been using in Taiwan, we’re going to use it in other locations,” Amon said.

Global companies are also digesting the imposition of tariffs by the U.S. on Mexico and Canada as well as additional duties on China.

Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon speaks at the Computex forum in Taipei, Taiwan, June 3, 2024.

Ann Wang | Reuters

Amon said it’s currently difficult to predict the impact on Qualcomm from the tariffs.

“It’s hard to tell because you don’t know exactly how this is going to go. The interesting thing is we’re big
exporters of chips. We’re not an importer of chips … Chips are going to devices. They’re made all over the world, and it’s hard to really know what is happening,” Amon said.

“We’re just is going to navigate based on whatever the outcome is.”

The Qualcomm CEO said there are a number of key technology trends that are likely to support the U.S. giant’s business in the long term, over the short term tariff uncertainty.

We are right at the “beginning of a significant upgrade for AI smartphones. We’re seeing PCs changing to AI PCs. Cars are becoming computers. That’s what’s driving our business, not necessarily what we’re going to see in the short term,” Amon said.

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