'OpenAI would not be what it is without him': Co-founder Ilya Sutskever steps down, CEO Sam Altman reacts

Ilya Sutskever, co-founder of OpenAI, announced his departure from the Microsoft-backed startup on Tuesday. His departure is happening months after there was a crisis in the leadership that involved the abrupt ouster of OpenAI’s co-founder and CEO Sam Altman.

Sutskever did not disclose details about his next project but mentioned it is personally meaningful to him in a post on X. In the post he said, "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."

He further added, "It was an honor and a privilege to have worked together, and I will miss everyone dearly.   So long, and thanks for everything.  I am excited for what comes next — a project that is very personally meaningful to me about which I will share details in due time."

In a sizeable post Altman responded to Sutskever's departure, saying, "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."

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

OpenAI's past leadership crisis 

OpenAI faced turmoil when the board accused Altman of not being consistently candid. The situation escalated as media reported Sutskever was focusing on ensuring artificial intelligence safety while others, including Altman, were eager to deliver new technology.

The majority of OpenAI’s employees threatened to leave in response to the board’s action. Altman returned to the company while board members who voted to oust him, including Sutskever, left. OpenAI announced new board members including Bret Taylor, former co-CEO of Salesforce, and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers.

Microsoft secured a nonvoting board observer position. OpenAI also revealed its new board and the conclusion of an internal investigation into Altman’s ouster. Altman rejoined the board and three new members were introduced. Sutskever's departure comes after OpenAI launched a new AI model and desktop version of ChatGPT.

OpenAI's technology chief Mira Murati stated plans to allow users to video chat with ChatGPT. Sutskever's journey with OpenAI began in 2015 when he was convinced by Elon Musk, another OpenAI co-founder, to leave Google and become OpenAI's chief scientist.