Hours after Ilya Sutskever's depature, another top OpenAI executive resigns
What's the story
OpenAI, a prominent artificial intelligence firm, is undergoing significant leadership changes as two top executives have stepped down within a day. Jan Leike, co-leader of OpenAI's superalignment group, announced his resignation today via a tweet stating simply "I resigned." This announcement came shortly after Ilya Sutskever, the other superalignment leader and OpenAI's chief scientist, also declared his exit from the company.
Future endeavors
Departing executives spark speculation about future plans
Leike's succinct resignation announcement has ignited speculation about his and Sutskever's future plans. Sutskever, a co-founder of OpenAI and its chief scientist for nearly a decade, expressed enthusiasm about his upcoming ventures in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. He assured followers that he would reveal more details "in due time." Leike was recognized as one of Time 100's most influential people in AI in September 2023.
Altman's response
OpenAI co-founder responds to Sutskever's departure
OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman responded to Sutskever's departure in a post on X, stating "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." Altman praised Sutskever's brilliance and vision but did not immediately address Leike's departure.
Staff exits
Recent departures follow a trend at OpenAI
These departures follow several other high-profile exits from OpenAI. The Information reported that two executives, Diane Yoon and Chris Clark, quit weeks ago. Yoon served as the VP of people while Clark was head of nonprofit and strategic initiatives. Additionally, researchers Leopold Aschenbrenner and Pavel Izmailov also left the company last month according to another report by The Information.