Let's see, Sam Altman is an incredibly charismatic founding CEO, who some people consider manipulative, but is also beloved by many employees. He got kicked out by his board, but brought back when they realized their mistake.
It's true that this doesn't really pattern-match with the founding story of huge successful companies like Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, or Google. But somehow, I think it's still possible that a huge company could be created by a person like this.
(And of course, more important than creating a huge company, is creating insanely great products.)
I think people following Sam Altman is jumping to conclusions. I think it's just as likely that employees are simply following the money. They want to make $$$, and that's what a for-profit company does, which is what Altman wants. I think it's probably not really about Altman or his leadership.
Given that over 750 people have signed the letter, it's safe to assume that their motivations vary. Some might be motivated by the financial aspects, some might be motivated by Sam's leadership (like considering Sam as a friend who needs support). Some might fervently believe that their work is crucial for the advancement of humanity and that any changes would just hinder their progress. And some might have just caved in to peer pressure.
Most are probably motivated by money, some are motivated by stability and some are motivated by their loyalty to sam but i think most are motivated by money and stability.
It's true that this doesn't really pattern-match with the founding story of huge successful companies like Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, or Google. But somehow, I think it's still possible that a huge company could be created by a person like this.
(And of course, more important than creating a huge company, is creating insanely great products.)