March 8 (Reuters) - OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman

will return to the ChatGPT-maker's board along with three new

directors, the world's most prominent artificial intelligence

company said on Friday.

An investigation by law firm WilmerHale into the events

surrounding the November firing of Altman also has concluded,

and the company has created new governance rules and

strengthened its conflict of interest policy. The board also

said it unanimously backed Altman's leadership.

Employees, investors and OpenAI's biggest financial backer,

Microsoft ( MSFT ), had expressed shock over Altman's ouster,

which was reversed within days.

The company on Friday said it was appointing new directors

including Altman, Sue Desmond-Hellmann, a former CEO of the Bill

and Melinda Gates Foundation, Nicole Seligman, a former

president of Sony Entertainment, and Fidji Simo, CEO of

Instacart.

They will join current board members Adam D'Angelo, the CEO

of Quora, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and

Chairman Bret Taylor, former co-CEO of Salesforce ( CRM ).

The investigation by WilmerHale found that Altman's

dismissal was not the result of concerns related to OpenAI's

finances, product safety or other issues.

"Instead it was a consequence of a breakdown in the

relationship and loss of trust between the prior Board and Mr.

Altman," OpenAI said, describing the law firm's findings.

"WilmerHale found that the prior Board believed at the time

that its actions would mitigate internal management challenges

and did not anticipate that its actions would destabilize the

Company," OpenAI said in a blogpost.

"WilmerHale found that the prior Board acted within its

broad discretion to terminate Mr. Altman, but also found that

his conduct did not mandate removal," it added.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

OpenAI said it was adopting new corporate governance

guidelines and creating a whistleblower hotline. The startup,

whose CEO has been a prolific investor in other companies, also

said it was strengthening its conflict of interest policy.

The board gave few details about those improvements.

The board's lack of detail for its surprise November

decision fueled speculation about potential misconduct by

Altman, which he and the company have denied, and about supposed

existential risks from the technology that OpenAI is building.

Altman's return as CEO about four days after his firing came

after nearly all of OpenAI's employees threatened to depart

unless the board restored Altman and resigned.

His return led to discussions about how OpenAI would be

governed, and the company announced a reconstituted board that

did not include Altman and was helmed by Taylor.