Speculations arise as Jan Leike exits OpenAI following Ilya Sutskever’s departure

OpenAI has experienced further leadership changes as Jan Leike, a key figure in the superalignment group, announced his resignation via X (Twitter). Leike, who co-led efforts to ensure AI systems align with human interests, follows Ilya Sutskever, the other leader in the same group, who revealed his departure earlier. Sutskever, a co-founder and former chief scientist of OpenAI, shared his departure plans on X. 

I resigned

— Jan Leike (@janleike) May 15, 2024

Leike's succinct resignation tweet is likely to spark speculation regarding his and Sutskever's next ventures. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed sadness over Sutskever's departure, praising his intellect and influence in the field. Altman, however, did not immediately comment on Leike's exit.

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

In a post on X, OpenAI CEO Sam 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."

This news adds to a series of notable departures from OpenAI, including executives Diane Yoon and Chris Clark, who left their roles weeks ago, according to reports. Yoon served as vice president of people, while Clark led nonprofit and strategic initiatives. Last month, researchers Leopold Aschenbrenner and Pavel Izmailov, both contributors to the superalignment team, also parted ways with the organisation.