Anthropic, a rival AI startup, has reportedly approached OpenAI’s board of directors to discuss the possibility of replacing CEO Sam Altman and merging the two companies. However, OpenAI’s co-founder Dario Amodei declined both proposals, according to The Information. The board has since offered ex-Twitch CEO Emmett Shear the position of interim chief, who accepted. Meanwhile, Microsoft has hired several key personnel from OpenAI as employees. This news has caused unrest in OpenAI, with nearly all of its 700 employees threatening to quit and one board member already resigning.

Anthropic was founded by former executives at OpenAI and split from their previous employer in 2020 due to disagreements over the safe development and governance of AI. Anthropic has since secured investments from Google and Amazon and seen its Claude AI models gain prominence alongside OpenAI’s GPT series. The co-founders of Anthropic have been reporting on the technology industry and artificial intelligence for Reuters since 2018. Jeffrey Dastin is a correspondent for Reuters based in San Francisco, focusing on technology and artificial intelligence. He holds a degree in history from Yale University and was part of a team that examined Amazon’s global lobbying efforts, earning a SOPA Award in 2022. Urvi Dugar is also a correspondent for Reuters based in Bengaluru, covering technology and e-commerce in India.