OpenAI's chief scientist and co-founder Ilya Sutskever announces departure
What's the story
Ilya Sutskever, co-founder and chief scientist of San Francisco-based artificial intelligence company OpenAI, has announced his departure.
The announcement was made via a blog post on Tuesday.
This marks the end of a chapter that saw Sutskever involved in the temporary ousting of CEO Sam Altman, from which he never returned to work after Altman regained control.
Founding influence
Sutskever's significant role in OpenAI's growth
Sutskever, a key member of OpenAI's founding team, served as its research director since its establishment in 2015.
His significant contributions shaped the company's growth and direction. CEO Sam Altman acknowledged this influence, stating "OpenAI would not exist without him and certainly was shaped by him."
Sutskever himself expressed confidence in the company's future, saying "The company's trajectory has been nothing short of miraculous."
Leadership transition
Jakub Pachocki to succeed Sutskever as Chief Scientist
Jakub Pachocki, who has been with OpenAI since 2017 and previously held the position of research director, will succeed Sutskever as chief scientist.
The company, valued at over $80 billion according to a recent fundraising deal, expressed confidence in Pachocki's ability to lead them toward their mission of ensuring that artificial general intelligence (A.G.I.) benefits everyone.
This leadership transition follows five months after a crisis at OpenAI which saw Altman briefly removed from his position.
Twitter Post
Take a look at Altman's post
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