OpenAI co-founder John Schulman exits Anthropic less than a year after joining

John Schulman, co-founder of OpenAI and one of the key figures behind ChatGPT, has left Anthropic less than a year after joining the AI startup. Anthropic confirmed his departure following reports from The Information, Reuters, and other publications.

In a statement, Jared Kaplan, Chief Science Officer at Anthropic, acknowledged Schulman’s exit: “We are sad to see John go but fully support his decision to pursue new opportunities and wish him all the very best.”

Schulman, a leading AI researcher, was one of the original architects of ChatGPT and played a crucial role in OpenAI’s early development. He left OpenAI in August 2024, around the same time as Peter Deng, OpenAI’s former Vice President of Consumer Product.

At the time, Schulman cited a desire to focus on AI alignment - the process of ensuring AI models remain safe and aligned with human values - as his primary reason for joining Anthropic, an AI safety-focused startup founded by former OpenAI employees.

However, his departure from Anthropic comes without a public explanation, and he has not yet revealed his next move. Interestingly, Schulman’s profile on X (formerly Twitter) still states that he “recently joined” Anthropic, suggesting the transition may have been abrupt.

While Schulman has not disclosed his future plans, his departure is notable given Anthropic’s increasing prominence in AI research. The company, backed by Amazon and Google, has positioned itself as a major competitor to OpenAI with its Claude AI models.

Schulman’s exit also comes at a time when the AI industry is experiencing rapid shifts, with growing competition from DeepSeek, Mistral, and other emerging players. Given his deep expertise in AI model training and safety, industry insiders will be closely watching where he lands next.