San Francisco, Nov 18 (IANS): In a sudden development, Sam Altman has been fired as CEO of OpenAI, the developer of AI chatbot ChatGPT, and the company's board said it "no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI."

Altman's sudden departure followed a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, "hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities" Chief technology officer Mira Murati will be the interim CEO, effective immediately and the company will conduct a search for a permanent CEO successor.

"I loved my time at OpenAI. It was transformative for me personally, and hopefully the world a little bit. Most of all I loved working with such talented people. Will have more to say about what's next later," Altman posted on X.

According to Semafor, Altman has been in the process of raising a venture capital fund to focus on "hard tech".

OpenAI President and co-founder Greg Brockman has also stepped down as chairman of the board but remains at the company.

Microsoft, which has invested billions of dollars in OpenAI, told The Verge it will continue to partner with the company.

"We have a long-term partnership with OpenAI and Microsoft remains committed to Mira and their team as we bring this next era of AI to our customers," according to a company statement.

Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella said the company has a long-term agreement with OpenAI "with full access to everything we need to deliver on our innovation agenda and an exciting product roadmap; and remain committed to our partnership, and to Mira and the team."

"Together, we will continue to deliver the meaningful benefits of this technology to the world," Nadella posted on X.

A member of OpenAI's leadership team for five years, Murati has played a critical role in OpenAI's evolution into a global AI leader.

She brings a unique skill set, understanding of the company's values, operations, and business, and already leads the company's research, product, and safety functions, said the company.

In a statement, the board of directors said: "We are grateful for Altman's many contributions to the founding and growth of OpenAI. At the same time, we believe new leadership is necessary as we move forward".