Purely speculating, but could there be some sort of 4D chess move going on here? Look at the timeline:
1) The board puts out a press release saying Sam was outed for not being candid
2) Internally a memo from the COO circulates saying that is not true
3) Greg and other senior folks quit
4) Now he is in a negotiating position to return for a) being fired on a false premise and b) bringing back all the top talent
If someone wanted to restructure the board of this company, they could have fed the other board members false information to put Sam in this negotiating position. It's also strange that a bunch of billionaires voiced support for Sam immediately after the firing without knowing any details.
1) The board puts out a press release saying Sam was outed for not being candid
2) Internally a memo from the COO circulates saying that is not true
3) Greg and other senior folks quit
4) Now he is in a negotiating position to return for a) being fired on a false premise and b) bringing back all the top talent
If someone wanted to restructure the board of this company, they could have fed the other board members false information to put Sam in this negotiating position. It's also strange that a bunch of billionaires voiced support for Sam immediately after the firing without knowing any details.