John Schulman, the co-founder of the artificial intelligence (AI) startup OpenAI, has announced his departure from the company after almost nine years of service. His resignation follows his decision to join the AI rival Anthropic to deepen his focus on AI alignment and technical work.
I shared the following note with my OpenAI colleagues today:
I’ve made the difficult decision to leave OpenAI. This choice stems from my desire to deepen my focus on AI alignment, and to start a new chapter of my career where I can return to hands-on technical work. I’ve decided…
— John Schulman (@johnschulman2) August 6, 2024
In an X post on August 6, Schulman revealed his vision and the reason for leaving OpenAI, dismissing any possible rumors about the lack of the platform’s support for him. He asserted,
“To be clear, I’m not leaving due to lack of support for alignment research at OpenAI. On the contrary, company leaders have been very committed to investing in this area. My decision is a personal one, based on how I want to focus my efforts in the next phase of my career.”
Further, he expressed gratitude to the company executives and other members for providing him with opportunities to explore various phases of the AI space. Elaborating on the incredible experience he has achieved from the platform, Schulman posited that he would continue endeavoring for the company despite his departure.
In addition to Schulman’s resignation, Peter Deng, OpenAI’s product manager, also exited the platform earlier. Reports also revealed that Greg Brockman, OpenAI’s President, has taken an extended leave of absence.
Thank you for everything you’ve done for OpenAI! You are a brilliant researcher, a deep thinker about product and society, and mostly, you are a great friend to all of us. We will miss you tremendously and make you proud of this place.
(I first met John in a cafe in Berkeley in…
— Sam Altman (@sama) August 6, 2024
In response to Schulman’s post, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman conveyed his gratefulness for him, acknowledging him as a brilliant researcher and a deep thinker. Further, recalling memories of their first meetup and the subsequent journey together, Altman shared his pain of Schulman’s leaving by expressin- “We will miss you tremendously.”