John Schulman, a co-founder of OpenAI, has left the company to join rival AI startup Anthropic. Schulman, who played a pivotal role in developing OpenAI’s AI-powered chatbot platform, ChatGPT, expressed his desire to focus more on AI alignment and engage in hands-on technical work. In a post on X, Schulman explained that he believes Anthropic offers him the opportunity to gain new perspectives and collaborate with experts deeply engaged in the areas he is most passionate about.
Background on Schulman’s Role at OpenAI
- AI Alignment Focus: Schulman led OpenAI’s alignment science efforts, which involve ensuring AI systems behave as intended and align with human values. This is crucial for the safe development and deployment of AI technologies.
- Reinforcement Learning Expertise: Schulman was instrumental in leading OpenAI’s reinforcement training organization, which fine-tunes generative AI models to follow human instructions, contributing significantly to the success of ChatGPT.
- Safety Committee Membership: He was also a member of OpenAI’s recently formed safety committee, though it is not clear who will succeed him in this role.
OpenAI Departures
- Greg Brockman’s Extended Leave: OpenAI’s president and co-founder, Greg Brockman, is taking an extended leave until the end of the year after nine years at the company. This break is intended for Brockman to “relax and recharge.”
- Peter Deng’s Departure: Peter Deng, a product manager who joined OpenAI after leading products at Meta, Uber, and Airtable, has also left the company. The departures of Brockman and Deng were earlier reported by The Information.
Reactions and Future Outlook
- Acknowledgment from OpenAI: OpenAI acknowledged Schulman’s contributions, emphasizing his role in advancing alignment research and building a strong foundation for future innovations. CEO Sam Altman praised Schulman as a brilliant researcher and friend, expressing confidence that OpenAI will continue to thrive.
- Personal Decision: Schulman clarified that his departure was not due to a lack of support from OpenAI but was a personal decision based on his career aspirations and focus areas.
- Current Founders: With Schulman’s exit, only three of OpenAI’s original 11 founders remain: CEO Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, and Wojciech Zaremba, lead of language and code generation.
Schulman’s move to Anthropic underscores the competitive and dynamic nature of the AI industry, where leading researchers seek environments that align with their research interests and career goals. His transition is expected to bolster Anthropic’s capabilities in AI alignment and safety, an area of growing importance in the field.
