No explanation beyond "he tried to give two people the same project
the "Killing the company would be consistent with the companies mission" line in the boards statement
Adam having a huge conflict of interest
Emmet wanting to go from a "10" to a "1-2"
I'm either way off, or I've had too much internet for the weekend.
It would also comport with Ilya's regret about the situation: perhaps he wanted to slow things down, board members convinced him Sam's ouster was the way to do it, but then it has actually unfolded such that development of dangerous AI/AGI/ASI might accelerate at Microsoft while weakening OpenAI's own ability to modulate the pace of development.
[1]: Given all the very public media brinkmanship, I'm not so quick to assume reports like these two explanations are true. E.g. the "Sama is returning with demands!" stories were obviously "planted" by people who were trying to exert pressure on the negotiations; would be interested to have more evidence that Ilya's explanations were actually this sloppy.
The only thing I've read about Shear is he is pro-slowing AI development and pro-Yudkowsky's doomer worldview on AI. That might not be a pill the company is ready to swallow.
https://x.com/drtechlash/status/1726507930026139651
> I specifically say I’m in favor of slowing down, which is sort of like pausing except it’s slowing down.
> If we’re at a speed of 10 right now, a pause is reducing to 0. I think we should aim for a 1-2 instead.
> - Emmett Shear Sept 16, 2023
https://x.com/eshear/status/1703178063306203397