Microsoft offers to match pay of all OpenAI staff.

After being controversially sacked as CEO on Friday, Sam Altman was offered a position to lead a new AI research group at Microsoft.

Almost every member of OpenAI’s staff has threatened to leave unless he and co-founder Greg Brockman are reinstated.

Microsoft is OpenAI’s biggest investor, and it is unclear whether Mr Altman will ultimately join the company.

According to Evan Morikawa, an engineering manager at OpenAI, 743 out of 770 employees have signed a letter calling for the board to resign – with staff themselves threatening to leave.

As they claim in their letter, they were offered jobs at Microsoft, which the company’s Chief Technology Officer Kevin Scott has confirmed, telling staff they would be hired by Microsoft “if needed” in a role “that matches your compensation”.

Mr Altman’s future is also uncertain, as Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella stated that he may not be joining, adding that he remains committed to OpenAI and Sam.

It depends on whether OpenAI employees stay there or come to Microsoft, so I’m open to both options.

Mr Nadella said on Monday “something must change” at OpenAI, creator of the ChatGPT chatbot, but did not specify what that was or rule out the tech giant joining the board.

Although Microsoft invests heavily in OpenAI and utilizes its technology extensively across its products, the company does not currently have a boardroom relationship with the company.

According to Mr Nadella, “At this point, I think there is a very, very clear need for change in governance.”.

The Microsoft chief executive’s calm demeanour in a round of media interviews is in contrast to the tumult at OpenAI itself, where staff are in open revolt at Mr Altman’s departure.