(ILLUSTRATION) This illustration photo produced in Arlington, Virginia on November 20, 2023, shows a smart phone screen displaying the logo of OpenAI juxtaposed with a screen showing a photo of former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Week in San Francisco, California, on November 16, 2023. Hundreds of staff at OpenAI threatened to quit the leading artificial intelligence company on November 20, 2023 and join Microsoft. They would follow OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman, who said he was starting an AI subsidiary at Microsoft following his shock sacking on November 17, 2023 from the company whose ChatGPT chatbot has led the rapid rise of artificial intelligence technology. In a letter, some of OpenAI's most senior staff members threatened to leave the company if the board did not get replaced. Reports said as many as 500 of OpenAI's 770 employees signed the letter. The startup's board sacked Altman on Friday, with US media citing concerns that he was underestimating the dangers of its tech and leading the company away from its stated mission -- claims his successor has denied. (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY / AFP)