Ilya Sutskever, who 'ousted' Sam Altman, exits OpenAI: Who is he?

Ilya Sutskever was on OpenAI's board when it decided to oust Sam Altman over leadership differences last year

Ilya Sutskever, co-founder of OpenAI and its chief scientist, said he on Wednesday he is parting ways with the ChatGPT maker.

“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 Sam Altman…,” Sutskever said in a post on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter).

Sutskever expressed confidence in the leadership of Open AI co-founder and president Greg Brockman, and chief technology officer Mira Murati and expressed gratitude for the support he has had at the company.

 

“It was an honour 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,” he added.

The Russian-born computer scientist will be replaced by research director Jakub Pachocki, OpenAI said on its blog Tuesday.

"OpenAI would not be what it is without him," Altman reacted to the news.

Who is Ilya Sutskever

Sutskever was born in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod in 1986. When OpenAI was founded in 2015, Sutskever served as its research director after being recruited to join the company by Elon Musk.

He was renowned for his work on neural networks at the University of Toronto and his work at the Google Brain lab. He holds citizenship in Russia, Israel, and Canada.

Sutskever and Altman disagreed on the pace of development of artificial intelligence. When OpenAI’s board had ousted Altman in a dramatic fashion in mid-November last year, Sutskever was one of its members.

After reportedly orchestrating Altman’s firing, Sutskever reversed his course days later and was among the 770 employees, who signed a letter demanding Altman's return. He had also expressed his regret for his "participation in the board's actions." Soon after, the CEO was reinstated.

Following Altman’s return to the company, he stated in a blog post that Sutskever wouldn't resume his former role as a board member. Instead, he mentioned that discussions were underway regarding how Sutskever could continue his work at OpenAI.

This development sparked speculation about the scientist's future role at the company, which has now concluded with his announcement today.

(With inputs from agencies)