OpenAI has recently experienced significant shifts in its leadership. According to reports, three key figures have departed, signaling a period of transformation for the company known for its advancements in AI technology.
John Schulman, one of OpenAI’s co-founders, has joined rival AI startup Anthropic. Schulman, who played a pivotal role in developing OpenAI’s reinforcement learning strategies and the popular AI chatbot platform ChatGPT, announced his decision to leave in order to focus more deeply on AI alignment research. Schulman expressed his desire to engage in more hands-on technical work, a goal he believes he can better pursue at Anthropic. His departure follows the exit of another key researcher, Jan Leike, who also joined Anthropic earlier this year.
In addition to Schulman, Greg Brockman, OpenAI’s president, has taken an extended leave of absence after nine years with the company. Brockman’s leave is reportedly to “relax and recharge,” reflecting a personal need for rest after years of intense work at the forefront of AI development.
Peter Deng, OpenAI’s vice president of consumer products, has also left the company. Deng, who joined OpenAI last year after significant tenures at Meta, Uber, and Airtable, departed some time ago, as confirmed by the company.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed gratitude and support for Schulman, stating, “Thank you for everything you’ve done for OpenAI! You are a brilliant researcher and a deep thinker about products 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.”
A spokesperson for OpenAI acknowledged Schulman’s contributions, emphasizing that his work laid a strong foundation for the company and the broader AI industry. “We’re grateful for John’s contributions as a founding team member at OpenAI and his dedicated efforts in advancing alignment research,” the spokesperson said.
These departures come amidst a series of high-level exits at OpenAI. Of the original 11 founders, only three remain: Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, and Wojciech Zaremba. The exits raise questions about the future direction of OpenAI, especially in its approach to AI safety and alignment research.
Despite the changes, Schulman expressed confidence in OpenAI’s continued success. “I am confident that OpenAI and the teams I was part of will continue to thrive without me,” he said. Schulman also clarified that his decision to leave was personal and not due to a lack of support from the company. “Company leaders have been very committed to investment in [alignment research],” he added.