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Sam Altman could return to OpenAI as CEO after the company initiated talks to potentially reinstate the former CEO of the artificial intelligence (AI) research lab. 

OpenAI said, "We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D'Angelo. We are collaborating to figure out the details. Thank you so much for your patience through this." 

Former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor will serve as a director on a new board. 

This development comes after Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in an interview to CNBC that he’d be open to Altman returning to OpenAI, rather than joining his company. Altman and OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman were set to join Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research team.

Over 500 OpenAI employees, including co-founder Ilya Sutskever, on November 20 signed a letter demanding the resignation of the remaining board members. They indicated that they would follow Altman to his new AI research venture at Microsoft if their demands were not met.



<strong>Read More:</strong> <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/quantum-brief/openai-saga-how-the-corporate-drama-will-impact-the-companys-brand-17669.htm">OpenAI Saga: How the corporate drama will impact the company's brand</a>

BREAKING: Sam Altman returns to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board?

<strong>By Vijay Anand</strong>

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on Tuesday (November 21) told CNBC that there is a pressing need for a governance overhaul at OpenAI following the sudden removal of CEO Sam Altman. Nadella stressed the necessity of changes in OpenAI's governance structure, signalling that Microsoft intends to engage in a constructive dialogue with the OpenAI board regarding these modifications.

“At this point, I think it’s very clear that something has to change around the governance,” Nadella told CNBC. He added that Microsoft would have “a good dialogue with their board on that.”

While dispelling concerns about potential long-term damage to OpenAI, Nadella assured that the crucial artificial intelligence research and the partnership with Microsoft would persist. However, uncertainties remain about the future roles of ousted CEO Sam Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman, who served as the company's chairman.

Nadella on Monday announced that Altman, Brockman, and their colleagues would join Microsoft as part of a new AI research group. Despite this, as the day progressed, the clarity on Altman and Brockman's transition to Microsoft became less evident. OpenAI employees, in response, expressed their concerns by signing a letter to the company's board, demanding resignations or indicating their potential departure to join Altman at Microsoft.

Nadella acknowledged that OpenAI employees have the option to either stay in their current roles or transition to Microsoft, stating that Microsoft possesses the capability to continue innovating independently.

“I’m open to both options,” he said during the interview.

The possibility of Altman's swift reinstatement had begun to gain traction over the weekend, with news emerging that a group of prominent investors, including Microsoft, Tiger Global, Thrive Capital, and Sequoia Capital, were actively working to reverse the board's decision. Notably, none of these firms held board seats and were reportedly caught off guard by the sudden developments.
In a post on the platform X, Altman expressed his love for the OpenAI team, hinting at a potential desire to return. Greg Brockman, who resigned as chairman alongside Altman's removal, echoed these sentiments by reposting the comment with a heart symbol, a sentiment shared by other OpenAI employees.

Nadella emphasised Microsoft's respect for OpenAI's nonprofit roots and its shared belief in the responsible development and deployment of artificial intelligence.

“We want to make sure that we’re dealing with not only the benefits of technology, but the unintended consequences of the technology from day one, as opposed to waiting for things to happen,” Nadella said.



Satya Nadella says governance needs to change at OpenAI

A few days before Pride Month, Starbucks India created a trans-inclusive campaign  #ItStartsWithYourName. The film shows a family union wherein a transgender woman meets her parents after a long time for coffee at Starbucks. It is implied that her father has had issues with her identity in the past.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Your name defines who you are - whether it&#39;s Arpit or Arpita. At Starbucks, we love and accept you for who you are. Because being yourself means everything to us. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ItStartsWithYourName?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ItStartsWithYourName</a>. ? <a href="https://t.co/DKNGhKZ1Hg">pic.twitter.com/DKNGhKZ1Hg</a></p>&mdash; Starbucks India (@StarbucksIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/StarbucksIndia/status/1656133960924012545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Within a few minutes there was a barrage of tweets from people calling Starbucks woke and propagandist.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tata is big time woke. They own Starbucks, Tanishq (remember that ad?). They fund The Wire, Harvard, Cornell, etc. But are smart enough to sell their products with nationalism (desh ka namak, desh ke truck, army themed ads). Funds all political parties good as well.</p>&mdash; THE SKIN DOCTOR (@theskindoctor13) <a href="https://twitter.com/theskindoctor13/status/1656594686331748353?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">If you wanted to normalise it, you should have used a transwoman who looks like 99% of them. By using one who looks &amp; sounds like a woman set impossible standards that will lead to more mental health issues in trans people and their self harm rates will go up. Shame on u. <a href="https://t.co/1slId7l4TA">pic.twitter.com/1slId7l4TA</a></p>&mdash; Eminent Intellectual (@total_woke_) <a href="https://twitter.com/total_woke_/status/1656881240039993344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

An ongoing case demanding legality of same-sex marriage has been taking place in the Supreme court. Storyboard18 has reached out to multiple brands but most have refused to comment on inclusive practices at their workplace or creating a space for queer community in their brands. 

It seems that Starbucks has taken a stand, even though in the past, brands have been accused of using the Pride Month for rainbow washing and clout chasing.

<strong>Read More:</strong> <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/brands-should-go-beyond-tokenism-and-be-more-queer-friendly-say-lgbtqia-influencers-6184.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Brands should go beyond tokenism and be more queer-friendly, say LGBTQIA influencers</a>

Patruni Chidananda Sastry (they/he/she), a non-binary and bisexual drag artist feels as trans people often face discrimination in public spaces whenever they try to access, being a coffee shop and welcoming trans individuals is definitely an example for a lot of brands to be trans-inclusive.

“The backlash we are receiving is a testament that there is hate being induced on us deliberately to curtail our freedom of accessing something as simple as a coffee. Trans people in public spaces have often triggered the conservatives as they want us to not be visible at all. It's high time that brands be with us and ensure to create more inclusive and diverse campaigns as they know those would change the mindset. It's high time brands be loyal to the cause and take risk,” Sastry shares

The LGBTQIA community seems to think that brands should normalise PRIDE instead of sensationalizing it, as Sushant Divgikr says. Divgikr who was crowned Mr Gay 2014 is a social media influencer, reality tv star and drag queen among other things. Watch his views here. 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PrideMonth?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PrideMonth</a> | &quot;Let&#39;s not celebrate Pride for only one month. We are alive all the other months.&quot; ?<br><br>Sushant Divgikr <a href="https://twitter.com/thedivasushant?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@thedivasushant</a> asks brands to NOT sensationalize LGBTQIA representation ?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pride2023?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pride2023</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/rainbowwashing?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#rainbowwashing</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Marketing?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Marketing</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/media?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#media</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LGBTQIA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LGBTQIA</a> <br><br>Here are Divgikr&#39;s views <a href="https://t.co/NWS2PmDIW7">pic.twitter.com/NWS2PmDIW7</a></p>&mdash; Storyboard18 (@BrandStoryboard) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrandStoryboard/status/1656911868781551618?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Like Divgikr, Sastry too feels that the queer community needs publicity as it takes ages to ensure that the bias is gone. “Brands just doing a pride campaign is definitely hypocrisy, brands need to take a stand and invite diverse communities with sensibility and then put it across to people. “

Karthik Srinivasan, a communications consultant says, “I loved the ad. Starbucks has done the same thing in the UK and Brazil. In India, they have incorporated the ad with cultural nuances. The ad was inclusive, honest and truthful. I don’t understand the anger. But in the larger context, Budweiser in the US also did an inclusive and friendly ad with trans people and it also got backlash. If people don’t like something, they don’t want brands to associate with it."

Parmesh Shahani, LGBTQIA inclusion consultant and author of the book Queeristan: LGBTQ Inclusion in the Indian Workplace, says “ I am happy that Starbucks has used its advertising to communicate a message of trans inclusion just as many companies and brands like Brooke Bond and Fast Track have done in the past. All of these companies understand that LGBTQIA inclusion is a win-win proposition; all the data indicates that being inclusive makes you more money, makes you more innovative and wins the loyalty of gen Z and millenials - their present and future customers..”

He further states, “Given that 6-10 percent of our country might be LGBTQIA and that society is changing very rapidly in terms of acceptance at colleges homes and workplaces, all these brands have understood that the future is undoubtedly LGBTQIA inclusive and are using their ads to participate in it.”


Shahani feels trolling is a relatively short-term phenomenon in today’s day and age. “But committing to a cause is a much deeper and long term purpose and brands that continue to stand by the LGBTQIA community are sure to have the long term support of not just the community but also millions of straight allies.“


Cancel 'Cancel Culture': Tata-Starbucks faces boycott calls from netizens over trans-inclusive ad

“Rubeena, we have to meet up at Toto’s!” was Sid’s often repeated invitation when it came to meeting up in Bandra over a drink, recalls former colleague and friend Rubeena Singh, Country Manager India & MENA, AnyMind Group  

Singh first met Sidharth Rao in 2013, when she was at Network18 and Rao (then founder of WebChutney) was also associated with the Network18 Group. Singh and Rao met at an award show where they shared the award for best content between Moneycontrol and ScoopWhoop. From then to 2016-2021, as fellow colleagues at Dentsu India, they worked together and interacted a lot. 

“I always remember Sid as someone full of bright ideas, with a refreshing honesty, full of humility, a self-deprecating sense of humour and generous to the core -  all of which made him an extremely likeable and trustworthy friend and colleague. In 2021, I moved out of Dentsu but we remained in touch, catching up in person and over the phone often,” shares Singh.

When Rao decided to return to his entrepreneurial roots and co-founded Punt Partners, one could easily notice the new found excitement in him, as he explained what he was trying to build. The other thing he was very excited about was the farmhouse he and his partner Shweta had set up in Karjat. “Everytime we met in Bandra or at an event or a social gathering, we would get an update about the farm. Little did I know that my maiden visit to his farm would be after he passed away,” rues Singh.

<strong>Read More:</strong><a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/sidharth-rao-a-digital-maven-who-made-creative-entrepreneurship-cool-in-india-7434.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Sidharth Rao: A digital maven who made creative entrepreneurship cool in India</a>

Coming from an army family, Rao was always respectful towards his parents, friends, colleagues and teammates. “He didn’t possess even a slight streak of arrogance despite winning so many accolades. On the contrary, he was slightly shy in public,” remembers Singh, adding, “He always saw the good side in people, was more than ready to give the credit to his team and his colleagues. He shied away from taking the spotlight, even when he truly deserved to bask in it.”

Singh remembers Rao for his less than conventional, instinctive style of leadership, and meticulous note-taking. “Whenever we had our Dentsu leadership meetings, I was always impressed by Sid’s meticulous notes and how he came up with ‘out of the box’ suggestions,” shares Singh. “His visionary leadership put WebChutney and Dentsu India on the creative world's map. Dentsu eventually went on to be known for winning India’s first ‘Agency of the year’ award at Cannes Lions.”

Singh says, “With Sid gone, India has lost one of its original internet startup entrepreneurs. With him gone, I have lost a friend and a confidant who was inspiring in the way he handled adversity." 

<strong>Read More:</strong><a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/sidharth-rao-lived-life-king-size-from-the-beginning-to-the-end-ashish-bhasin-7448.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Sidharth Rao lived life King size, from the beginning to the end: Ashish Bhasin</a>

<strong>Read More:</strong><a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/sidharth-rao-wasnt-one-for-the-high-society-party-circuit-and-never-lost-his-connection-with-real-india-shubhranshu-singh-on-rao-7428.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Sidharth Rao wasn’t one for the high society party circuit and never lost his connection with real India: Shubhranshu Singh on Rao</a>


Sidharth Rao shied away from the spotlight, even when he truly deserved to bask in it: Rubeena Singh on Rao

Five years ago, when Indian creative directors came home from the Oscars of advertising they had a bag full of inspiration on how to crack the digital code. Cut to 2022. They are returning with a suitcase full of Lions for their cutting-edge tech-driven work.

Dentsu Webchutney created history by winning three Grand Prix in a single year at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for Vice Media’s campaign ‘The Unfiltered History Tour’. The agency also grabbed a much-coveted Titanium Lion, a category that celebrates game-changing work. The campaign has also become India's highest-ever awarded work in Cannes Lions' history.

Dentsu Creative India also won the prestigious Agency of the Year title.

Storyboard18 asked Ajay Gahlaut, group chief creative officer, Dentsu Creative, what makes ‘The Unfiltered History Tour’ a winning campaign. He believes the way the campaign has used creativity and tech to question history has got people interested. Also, its subversive nature has added to its appeal. “The fact that one is bypassing the ‘official’ narrative of the British Museum and accessing an alternate view through technology is very exciting. The campaign has started a conversation all over the world about the evils of colonisation,” he added.

On winning the Agency of the Year, he said: it's "an emotion I cannot even begin to describe. When I used to watch other agencies win the title I often wondered if I ever would get that same honour." He added, "Not just me I think no one in the entire Indian ad industry has been part of such a huge haul of Lions ever before...I doff my hat to the entire team responsible for the Unfiltered History Tours. Those who are with us now and those who have moved on. Congratulations all.”

<strong>What is the Unfiltered History Tour?</strong>

The campaign is a guided tour for visitors at the British Museum, which houses some of the world’s most disputed artefacts. Through The Unfiltered Tour, visitors to the museum could scan the artefacts using Instagram filters and unlock an augmented reality (AR) experience that visually teleport the objects back to their homeland. Taking this further, The Unfiltered History Tour also extends into a ten-part podcast series featuring experts from the countries where the artefact was taken from and not from where it’s currently housed. This was done to provide a broader education on the artefacts, as well as the history and ongoing impact of colonialism.

The germ of the campaign idea came up during a casual conversation between the agency’s former chief creative officer PG Aditiya and former CEO Gautam Reghunath. The campaign took about 18 months to come together. Once the campaign took off, Aditiya, Reghunath, and a few others who worked on it, quit to set up a new creative hot shop called Talented.

<strong>Credit culture took the spotlight</strong>

Dentsu Webchutney has been entering the campaign for awards and has been bringing shiny metals home from across the globe. Every time a few trophies are added to the agency’s shelves, they tag Aditiya, Reghunath, and a few others on social posts giving them due credit and respect. So much so that Gurbaksh Singh, chief innovation officer, Dentsu Creative India, couriered a replica of the Grand Prix trophy to Reghunath before he flew to Cannes and asked him to unbox it when they win. Singh had a gut feeling that the campaign will win big.

The team spirit of Dentsu Webchutney and Talented is setting the right example for the ad industry. It says a lot about how the Indian creative community is becoming more mature when it comes to sharing credit.

<strong>When creativity meets data and business transformation</strong>

Ogilvy India and Wavemaker made history, too, by winning a Titanium Lion. The agency got it for its Cadbury Celebrations’ ‘Shah Rukh Khan - My Ad’. In 2020, as a part of the brand’s ‘Iss Diwali Aap #KiseKhushKarenge?’ campaign, Mondelez India’s ‘Not Just A Cadbury Ad’ leveraged artificial intelligence to create hyper-personalised spots for local businesses in and around 260 pin codes. It married creativity and tech with a purpose: to promote local businesses at a time when they were worst hit by the pandemic and lockdowns. The campaign tied in with Cadbury's global brand positioning centred on genuine acts of kindness and generosity.

In 2021, in addition to the hyper-personalised brand films that reached the end-consumers, local retailers got a chance to make a version of these ads for their stores, using the AI-powered technology developed by Rephrase.ai. Small businesses that are pinned on Google maps could share their custom-made ad featuring Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan through WhatsApp. In these ads, Khan was seen nudging consumers to shop from various local stores. Wavemaker India was the media agency behind the campaign.

The agency also won Gold Lions in categories like Creative Data and Direct.

<strong>The other Grand Prix winner</strong>

The other Grand Prix this year went to VMLY&R India's 'The Killer Pack' campaign for Maxx Flash in the Health & Wellness Lions. In India, garbage collection points act as major breeding grounds for diseases like dengue and malaria, while mosquito repellent coils are only used to fight mosquitoes inside homes, Maxx Flash decided to change that practice. The mosquito repellent brand introduced The Killer Pack, a 100% biodegradable, innovative packaging lined with 5% Active Probiotic Bacillus thuringiensis, which kills mosquito larvae when disposed of in garbage dumps, dustbins, and stagnant water, helping to break the vicious cycle.

The campaign also won Lions in categories like Creative Commerce and Creative Business Transformation. The agency’s campaign ‘Smart Fill’ for Unilever picked up a Silver Lion in the Sustainable Development Goals category.

These campaigns indicate that at the core of technology-driven work is creativity and data that pushes the envelope and powers marketing strategies.

<strong>Purpose-driven narratives win big and a Grand Prix </strong>

Historically, India is known for winning big advertising awards for campaigns that are purpose-led. This year, too, a bunch of purposeful campaigns roared at Cannes Lions.

Leo Burnett India’s campaign ‘The Missing Chapter’ for P&G India’s Whisper got India’s first Grand Prix for Sustainable Development Goals Lions. It’s a category that celebrates creative problem solving, solutions, or other initiatives that harness creativity and seek to positively impact the world.

Leo Burnett India’s film titled ‘The Missing Chapter’ is a part of the brand’s #KeepGirlsInSchool movement. It was designed to illustrate how a girl’s lack of period education contributes to her missing school days, a situation exacerbated by the glaring absence of period education in Indian textbooks. The same campaign won a Silver Lion in the category Health & Wellness.

Dheeraj Sinha, CEO Leo Burnett, South Asia & Chairman BBH India, tells Storyboard18 that what makes this an award-winning campaign "is perhaps both that fact that it balances creativity and purpose while also helping the brand scale up and meet its business objectives. It is an impactful campaign that makes a real difference to both consumers and the business itself."

He further indicated, "one of the biggest problems holding girls back is a lack of period education. 23 million girls fall out of the education system because they don’t understand what’s happening to them. The missing chapter is another initiative towards keeping girls in school. It's real in its impact."

Rajdeepak Das, CEO and chief creative officer, South Asia, Leo Burnett, tells us that the campaign also took a granular approach. "We decided that if the girls don’t have access to the chapter on period education, we will take the chapter to them. Thus evolved the idea of using one of India’s oldest communication forms – ‘wall-art’ to spread period education by taking this chapter to India’s smallest towns and villages," he explains.

After identifying 28 art styles specific to the geography of each state, the agency worked with local artists to create custom hand-drawn paintings centred around ‘The Missing Chapter’ on periods. Hyper-localized in 28 different languages, slogans with catchy lines were crafted to bust period myths along with a 3-step visual aid on how to use a pad. These paintings have been put up on school and village walls – a place no girl can miss seeing these.

<strong>Indian Lions roar on the global stage</strong>

FCB India is the other Indian agency that got home Lions. FCB India and Kinnect a bunch of Lions for SOS Children’s Village India’s ‘Chatpat’ campaign. In the Film category, which was announced on the last day at Cannes Lions, the campaign got a Silver and Bronze Lion each. DDB Mudra’s ‘Machine-Gun Mouth’ spot for Battle Battlegrounds Mobile India promoted responsible gaming. Made by Early Man Films this ad picked a Bronze Film Lion.

VMLY&R India’s campaign ‘Adeli’ done for Unipads was India’s only winner in Glass Lions. The agency picked up a Bronze Lion.

From period talk to addressing the ongoing impact of colonialism, Indian agencies took on several purposeful subjects and married data, tech and creativity to create impactful work for clients and at the same time make history at the Cannes Lions.

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