On Wednesday, the high-profile AI startup, OpenAI, announced that Sam Altman is coming back as its chief executive. This marks the conclusion of an intense five-day period involving discussions, debates, and persuasion, initiated by Altman’s sudden dismissal from the startup last week.

OpenAI, which is recognized as the most valuable U.S. startup, announced on Twitter (now known as X) that it has reached an “agreement in principle” for Altman’s return.

The statement said: “We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam 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.”

Altman has also shared his statement on X: “I love OpenAi, and everything I’ve done over the past few days has been in service of keeping this team and its mission together. When I decided to join Microsoft on Sunday evening, it was clear that was the best path for me and the team. With the new board and with Satya’s support, I’m looking forward to returning to OpenAI, and building on our strong partnership with Microsoft.”

Greg Brockman, who was removed from OpenAI’s board alongside Altman, will also be returning to the company. He had been serving the AI startup as its chairman and president, but resigned shortly after Altman’s ouster was publicly announced.

Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, who had conveyed disappointment over the decision of the OpenAI board last week and committed to preventing future surprises for Microsoft, expressed encouragement on Wednesday regarding the recent modifications made to the OpenAI board.

“We believe this is the first essential step on a path to more stable, well-informed, and effective governance. Sam, Greg, and I have talked and agreed they have a key role to play along with the OAI leadership team in ensuring OAI continues to thrive and build on its mission. We look forward to building on our strong partnership and delivering the value of this next generation of AI to our customers and partners.”