For the independent directors, every instance added up to a single troubling picture: Bit by bit, Altman was trying to cloud their visibility and maneuver in ways that prevented the board from ever being able to check him. For years, Altman had advertised the board’s ability to counterbalance and even fire him as OpenAI’s most important governance mechanism. Indeed, he was now trumpeting this fact around the world to secure public and government trust.
