SAN FRANCISCO -- OpenAI, the company that launched ChatGPT, announced on Friday that it had dismissed CEO Sam Altman after the company lost confidence in his ability to lead.

"Mr. Altman's departure follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities," the board said in a statement, adding that OpenAI was grateful for Altman's contributions.

"I loved my time at OpenAI. It was transformative for me personally, and hopefully the world a little bit. Most of all I loved working with such talented people. Will have more to say about what's next later," said Altman via a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati would take over as interim CEO while the board searches for a permanent replacement, according to the board of directors of the artificial intelligence research company.