Sam Altman at OpenAI DevDay on Nov. 6, 2023, in San Francisco. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop)

This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we assess the outcome of the drama at OpenAI, considering what the removal and ultimate return of its CEO Sam Altman, and everything that happened in between, means for Microsoft.

While Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella earned kudos for masterfully navigating the mess, the situation also showed how the company was vulnerable to being blindsided due to OpenAI’s convoluted structure.

And while for-profit interests are likely to get more influence on OpenAI’s reformulated board, it’s not yet clear if Microsoft will end up with a seat on that board, leaving the ultimate outcome for Microsoft unclear, for now.

Another big question: will companies think twice about going all-in with OpenAI and Microsoft now? That could create more opportunity for the likes of Amazon, Anthropic, Google, and others in enterprise AI, in particular.

Also this week, we discuss Amazon’s move into car-buying, and the Seattle region’s dwindling flock of unicorns.

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