OpenAI Execs Feared ChatGPT-Parent Would Collapse After Departure Of Ilya Sutskever, Tried To Woo Him Back And Almost Succeeded: Report

Executives at ChatGPT-parent OpenAI were reportedly apprehensive about the company’s future following the exit of key personnel, including co-founder Ilya Sutskever.

What Happened: Earlier this week, OpenAI CTO Mira Murati announced her exit from the company, which re-ignited the concerns regarding OpenAI and the increasing number of high-profile departures from the company.

Now, a report by the Wall Street Journal has indicated that after Sutskever resigned in May, followed shortly by Jan Leike, OpenAI executives, fearing a potential larger exodus, worked to bring Sutskever back.

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Murati and the then OpenAI President Greg Brockman visited Sutskever at his home, expressing concerns and bringing letters and cards from employees urging his return, the report noted.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also reportedly visited him.

As per the report, while Sutskever was considering his return, he was later told by Brockman that the offer for him to come back had been rescinded.

Soon after, Sutskever founded a new venture, Safe Superintelligence, aimed at developing the most advanced AI without the distraction of product releases, raising $1 billion in funding.

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Why It Matters: OpenAI is reportedly working on making a shift from a non-profit to a for-profit benefit corporation.

Earlier this week, it was reported that OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar tried to reassure staff by highlighting the “incredibly high” investor interest in the company’s funding round following the departure of Murati.

On the other hand, Elon Musk, co-founder of OpenAI and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has expressed concerns about the company’s transition to a for-profit entity, which could potentially give CEO Altman a 7% stake ChatGPT-parent.

On Friday, it was also reported that Apple Inc. has reportedly withdrawn from negotiations to invest in OpenAI's funding round, which aims to raise between $6.5 billion and $7 billion.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Photos courtesy: Flickr and Stanford University