Microsoft relinquished the non-voting observer seat it held on OpenAI's board. In a letter dated 9 July, it wrote that it had "witnessed significant progress by the newly formed board" over the past eight months and no longer believed its limited role as an observer was necessary; the news was reported the following day. Microsoft had taken the seat at the end of November 2023, after the crisis over Sam Altman's removal. It came while competition authorities in the US and UK were examining the relationship, and was read as a move made with regulators in mind. OpenAI said it would have no observers going forward, ending speculation that an Apple executive would take one.