"The Five Days That Almost Killed AI: OpenAI's Thanksgiving Massacre" cover art

"The Five Days That Almost Killed AI: OpenAI's Thanksgiving Massacre"

"The Five Days That Almost Killed AI: OpenAI's Thanksgiving Massacre"

Listen for free

View show details

About this listen

November 17, 2023: OpenAI's board fires Sam Altman via Zoom, sparking the most dramatic coup in Silicon Valley history. Over five days during Thanksgiving week, 95% of employees threaten to quit, Microsoft offers to hire them all, and the board's idealistic attempt to slow AI development spectacularly backfires. From Ilya Sutskever's tearful betrayal and instant regret to Sam's chess master response that turned termination into triumph, Marcus Reid reveals how a nine-minute video call nearly destroyed a $90 billion company. Two years later, Sam rules an AI empire worth $157 billion while his would-be usurpers are footnotes. In tech, nice coups finish last.

Join the Feuds Community!

Love drama? Obsessed with rivalries that shaped history? From Hollywood breakups to presidential vendettas, from rap battles to international Cold Wars, Feuds: Power, Pride, and Payback delivers the most explosive conflicts in culture, politics, and entertainment.


Join thousands of fellow drama enthusiasts dissecting every episode, sharing theories, and debating who really won these legendary battles. We're building the ultimate community for people who understand that the best stories are always about conflict.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram—just search for "Feuds Podcast" or click the link in the show notes.


Because every great story needs people to tell it to.
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.