Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever is Departing OpenAI

Ilya Sutskever, co-founder and chief scientist at OpenAI, has chosen to step away from the organization. In a statement shared on X, Ilya expressed his decision, stating, “After nearly ten years, I have decided to part ways with OpenAI. The company’s progress has been remarkable, and I am optimistic that OpenAI will continue to advance towards building safe and beneficial AGI…“

After almost a decade, I have made the decision to leave OpenAI. The company’s trajectory has been nothing short of miraculous, and I’m confident that OpenAI will build AGI that is both safe and beneficial under the leadership of @sama, @gdb, @miramurati and now, under the…
— Ilya Sutskever (@ilyasut) May 14, 2024

The announcement follows closely after OpenAI’s Spring Update event, during which the company unveiled its newest model, GPT-4o. Notably, Ilya Sutskever played a key role in the leadership team responsible for the launch and deployment of the GPT-4o model.

It’s worth noting that in November 2023, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was dismissed from the company, with many reports indicating that Ilya Sutskever played a significant role in Altman’s removal. The subsequent events are widely known: Sam Altman was reinstated, and Ilya Sutskever was removed from the OpenAI board. Since then, Ilya has maintained a low profile.

Ilya and OpenAI are going to part ways. This is very sad to me; Ilya is easily one of the greatest minds of our generation, a guiding light of our field, and a dear friend. His brilliance and vision are well known; his warmth and compassion are less well known but no less…
— Sam Altman (@sama) May 14, 2024

Regarding Ilya’s departure, Sam Altman remarked, “Ilya and OpenAI will be parting ways. This is a poignant moment for me; Ilya is undeniably one of the most brilliant minds of our era, a beacon in our field, and a cherished friend.” He commended Ilya as a “remarkable genius” and acknowledged his “warmth and compassion.”

With Ilya Sutskever’s departure from OpenAI, what lies ahead for him? Ilya has indicated that he is engaged in “a project that holds great personal significance for me, details of which I will reveal in due course.” Meanwhile, at OpenAI, Jakub Pachocki will assume the position of Chief Scientist.

Lastly, Ilya was deeply committed to achieving AGI at OpenAI. According to The Atlantic, Ilya served as a guiding force at the company in pursuit of the AGI vision, leading a team of OpenAI staff who chanted “Feel the AGI!” as a rallying cry. Allegedly, he even burned a wooden effigy symbolizing an unaligned AI that posed a threat to humanity’s interests.

It would be intriguing to discover the nature of the personal project Ilya Sutskever is currently engaged in.