OpenAI Scientist Who Ousted Sam Altman Quits A Day After GPT-4o Launch

Ilya Sutskever said that he believes that OpenAI is in the right hands currently and will continue to grow under the leadership of Altman. He's now working on an unnamed project.
By Bhushan Akolkar
OpenAI’s Sam Altman Tells What’s Next After DeepSeek Disruption

Highlights

  • Ilya Sutskever expressed confidence in Sam Altman's leadership to continue leading OpenAI.
  • He said that he's working on an unnamed project that has personal significance to him.
  • Jakub Pachocki, instrumental in build GPT-4, will replace Sutskever as the OpenAI Chief Scientist.

Ilya Sutskever, the chief scientist and co-founder at OpenAI, will be leaving the artificial intelligence after months of speculation about his future role in the company. Sutskever played a key role in the ouster of OpenAI chief Sam Altman last year in November 2022. This development comes just a day after OpenAI unveiled its GPT-4o model.

Who Replaces Sutskever at OpenAI?

Sutskever joined OpenAI during the AI startup’s founding days back in 2015, after getting recruited by Elon Musk. During his decade-long tenure at OpenAI, he served as the research director since he was popular for his research work at the University of Toronto in addition to his work at the Google Brain lab.

In a recent post on X, Sutskever expressed admiration for OpenAI’s trajectory, deeming it “miraculous.” He conveyed confidence in the company’s ability to develop AI that is both safe and beneficial under its current leadership.

In November 2023, Sutskever joined several OpenAI members in a move to oust CEO Sam Altman. Back then, he said that Altman’s vision of OpenAI didn’t align with safe AI development. However, this move didn’t go well as nearly 770 employees threatened to leave the firm unless Altman was reinstated. Just a week later, and after all the drama that ensued, the company reinstated Sam Altman at the helm of affairs at OpenAI.

Amidst the chaos, Sutskever expressed regret over his involvement in Altman’s removal. OpenAI announced on its blog Tuesday that Sutskever will be succeeded by Research Director Jakub Pachocki. The news Research Director has been working at OpenAI since 2017 and was instrumental in the development of the GPT-4 model.

However, other people from Sutskever’s camp have joined him in the recent move. ML Researcher at OpenAI, Jane Leiki announced his resignation an hour back.

Removing Sutskever from the Board

After Altman’s return to the company in late November, he stated in a blog post that Sutskever wouldn’t resume his former position as a board member but that discussions were ongoing regarding his continued involvement at OpenAI.

In the months following, Sutskever largely retreated from the public eye, leading to speculation about his ongoing role with the company. Sutskever’s recent post on X marks his first public communication since reposting a message from OpenAI in December.

On X, Sutskever revealed that he is currently engaged in an unnamed project that holds significant personal significance for him.

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Bhushan Akolkar
Bhushan is a seasoned crypto writer with over eight years of experience spanning more than 10,000 contributions across multiple platforms like CoinGape, CoinSpeaker, Bitcoinist, Crypto News Flash, and others. Being a Fintech enthusiast, he loves reporting across Crypto, Blockchain, DeFi, Global Macros with a keen understanding in financial markets. 

He is committed to continuous learning and stays motivated by sharing the knowledge he acquires. In his free time, Bhushan enjoys reading thriller fiction novels and occasionally explores his culinary skills. Bhushan has a bachelors degree in electronics engineering, however, his interest in finance and economics drives him to crypto and blockchain.
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