- OpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever is leaving the company, he said on X on Tuesday.
- The chief scientist played a key role in the November ouster of CEO Sam Altman, reports said.
- Sutskever said in his Tuesday announcement that he is confident OpenAI will build "safe" technology.
OpenAI cofounder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever is stepping away from the company after almost a decade, he said in a Tuesday post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Sutskever said he is "confident" that the company will continue to build technology that is "both safe and beneficial."
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
Sutskever's role at the company has been in doubt for the last six months after reports indicated he played a key role in the shocking and ultimately failed board ouster of OpenAI CEO and cofounder Sam Altman in November.
Two people familiar with the company told Business Insider in December that Sutskever had essentially been shut out of OpenAI in the aftermath of the attempt to remove Altman as CEO.
Sutskever said he is "excited" about his next steps, which he said he would share more details about "in due time."
Neither OpenAI nor Sutskever immediately responded to a request for comment from BI.
In his own post on X, Altman said, "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 important."
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