The whirlwind reporting after OpenAI’s board ousted Sam Altman – and the even faster reversal – felt like watching the future wobble on a hinge. One of the most influential AI companies on earth nearly changed direction because of a weekend’s worth of internal chaos. For an industry that loves to talk about stability and alignment, the whole thing looked remarkably human.
What struck me wasn’t the drama. It was how quickly people realized how dependent innovation has become on a handful of leaders and institutions. When OpenAI flinches, the entire AI ecosystem reflexively checks its pulse. That kind of centralization is efficient until the moment it isn’t.
The episode also highlighted how young this field still is. We’re building world-shaping tools using governance structures that look like startup furniture — minimalist, temporary, assembled with an Allen wrench. Maybe that’s fine for a while. Maybe it isn’t.
If the future hinges on systems this fragile, how do we design leadership that can handle the weight? And what does “stability” even mean when the technology evolves faster than the organizations guiding it?
Related article: NY Times
