Ilya Sutskever, co-founder and Chief Scientist of OpenAI, announced his departure from the company after nearly a decade, citing a ‘very personally meaningful’ project as his next endeavour. Sutskever’s exit comes amidst internal conflicts at OpenAI, including his role in the removal and subsequent reinstatement of CEO Sam Altman.
Ilya Sutskever, co-founder and Chief Scientist of OpenAI, announced his departure from the company on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Sutskever, who had been an instrumental figure at OpenAI for nearly a decade, revealed that he would be moving on to a “very personally meaningful” project, although he did not provide further details.
Sutskever played a crucial role in developing ChatGPT and other significant AI advancements. However, his recent tenure was marked by internal conflicts at OpenAI, most notably involving the temporary ousting of CEO Sam Altman. In November 2023, Sutskever joined three other board members in voting to remove Altman, a decision he later regretted, leading him to sign a letter with approximately 770 employees demanding Altman’s reinstatement. Altman was reappointed CEO five days later.
Jakub Pachocki, previously the director of research, will replace Sutskever as OpenAI’s chief scientist. CEO Sam Altman expressed his sadness over Sutskever’s departure, highlighting his contributions to the company and the field of artificial intelligence.
