OpenAI Co-Founder and Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever Announces His Departure from the Company

Ilya Sutskever, a co-founder and chief scientist of OpenAI, has officially left the company, as announced in a post on X (formerly Twitter). OpenAI confirmed the news in a blog post featuring a message from CEO and co-founder Sam Altman. Notably, Sutskever was part of the board that controversially attempted to fire Altman last year.

Jakub Pachocki, OpenAI's director of research, has been appointed as the new chief scientist. Altman expressed his sentiments in the following message:

"Ilya and OpenAI are parting ways, which saddens me deeply. Ilya is undoubtedly one of the greatest minds of our generation and a dear friend. His brilliance and vision are widely recognized, though his warmth and compassion are equally significant.

OpenAI owes much of its success to Ilya. Although he is embarking on a personally meaningful new project, I am eternally grateful for his contributions and remain committed to the mission we began together. I feel fortunate to have collaborated with such a remarkable genius dedicated to building a better future for humanity.

Jakub will take over as Chief Scientist. He is also among our generation’s leading minds, and I’m excited for him to lead us forward. He has overseen many key projects, and I believe he will steer us toward rapid and safe advancements in our mission to ensure that artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits everyone."

In a recent article from The New York Times, the 38-year-old Sutskever mentioned he was starting a new project but did not provide further details.

His departure comes just a day after OpenAI announced the release of its new foundational AI model, GPT-4o, raising questions about the timing of the announcement. However, those closely following OpenAI's developments may not find Sutskever's exit surprising.

Sutskever played a significant role in the internal power struggle that led to Altman's ousting in November 2023, a move that was later reversed when more than 500 employees rallied for Altman’s reinstatement. Since then, Sutskever had been notably absent from OpenAI events, prompting memes on social media like "Where’s Ilya?"

Now the answer is clear: Ilya Sutskever is no longer with OpenAI. His future endeavors are anticipated to make a significant impact on the tech and AI sectors.