OpenAI Co-Founder Schulman Leaves for Anthropic, Brockman Takes Extended Leave
3 min read
In a surprising turn of events, John Schulman, one of the co-founders of OpenAI, has left to join Anthropic, a rival AI startup. Schulman announced his decision on social media, highlighting his desire to focus more deeply on AI alignment research.
In addition to Schulman’s departure, OpenAI president Greg Brockman has also decided to take an extended leave until the end of the year. Brockman explained that he needs time to relax and recharge after nine years of relentless work at OpenAI. These departures mark significant changes for the company.
John Schulman’s Move to Anthropic
John Schulman’s exit from OpenAI has raised eyebrows in the tech community. His new journey at Anthropic is driven by a desire to delve deeper into AI alignment research.
In a post on social media, Schulman expressed confidence that OpenAI would continue to thrive without him. He emphasized his personal interest in working with people deeply engaged in the topics he cares about.
Greg Brockman’s Extended Leave
Meanwhile, Greg Brockman, another key figure at OpenAI, is taking a break until the end of the year. He stated on social media that this is his first real opportunity to relax since co-founding the company.
Brockman reassured followers that the mission at OpenAI is far from complete. He emphasized that there is still much work to be done in building safe AGI (Artificial General Intelligence).
Impact on OpenAI
The combined departure of Schulman and the temporary absence of Brockman creates a leadership vacuum at OpenAI.
Peter Deng, who joined OpenAI last year after stints at Meta, Uber, and Airtable, has also exited. The company confirmed Deng’s departure, adding to the list of recent high-profile exits.
Schulman’s Contributions to OpenAI
Schulman joined OpenAI shortly after completing his Ph.D. at UC Berkeley. He played a key role in developing ChatGPT by leading the reinforcement training team. This team fine-tuned generative AI models to follow human instructions.
Following the departure of AI safety researcher Jan Leike, Schulman became the head of OpenAI’s alignment science efforts. He was also a member of the safety committee.
Reactions from OpenAI Leadership
Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, expressed his gratitude for Schulman’s contributions. Altman highlighted Schulman’s brilliance as a researcher and his deep thinking about product and society.
Altman also mentioned that they would miss Schulman tremendously and aim to make him proud of OpenAI’s future achievements.
Schulman’s Future at Anthropic
Schulman’s move to Anthropic is seen as a way to gain new perspectives and engage in more hands-on technical work. He believes Anthropic offers new opportunities to delve into AI alignment, a field he is passionate about.
His decision to leave OpenAI was not due to a lack of support. Instead, it was a personal choice focused on his career’s next phase. Schulman is confident in OpenAI’s ability to continue its mission without him.
OpenAI’s Remaining Leadership
With Schulman’s exit, only three of OpenAI’s original 11 founders remain: CEO Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, and Wojciech Zaremba, who leads language and code generation.
This highlights a significant shift in the company’s leadership landscape. The future now rests in the hands of the remaining leaders and new talent to drive the company forward.
The departure of John Schulman and the extended leave of Greg Brockman mark a pivotal moment for OpenAI. While these changes present challenges, they also offer new opportunities for growth and innovation.
OpenAI’s remaining leadership will need to navigate these transitions carefully to maintain the company’s momentum. The world of AI continues to evolve rapidly, and OpenAI remains at the forefront of this exciting field.
About The Author
