Openai co-founder Ilya Sutskever says he's stepping into the CEO role at Safe Superintelligence, an AI startup he launched in 2024. Sutskever confirmed on Thursday that startup co-founder and CEO Daniel Gross left on June 29th, Daniel Co-Funderide's Co-Funderide of Stapedise left on June 29th.
The announcement follows weeks of reporting to hire Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has been in high consultation to hire Gross, and to hire his longtime investment partner, former Github CEO Nat Friedman. At one point, Zuckerberg reportedly tried to acquire everything from Safe Superintelligence, a startup that is recently worth $32 billion. Sutskever also addressed these reports.
“You may have heard rumors about the companies that are trying to acquire us. We are pleased with their attention, but we are focused on seeing our work,” Sutskever said. “We have the math, we have the team, we know what to do.
Naturally, Gross' departure may raise questions about startups. If safe super intelligence was approaching that goal, and, as explained, is certainly a groundbreaking technology, why would co-founders leave to start something new in the meta?
In particular, Safe Superintelligence describes itself as the world's “first straight shot SSI lab.” In other words, the company has no products or ambitions other than developing, safe and secure supervision. That's the name, that's the product, that's their whole thing. Sutskever began safe supervision shortly after leaving Openai, playing a role in a brief expulsion of CEO Sam Altman.
Meanwhile, Meta Superintelligence Labs appears likely to develop technology that will enhance the products of many companies. In a note from Zuckerberg, who announced the new unit, he referenced Meta's expertise in building and growing products that reach billions, citing the early victories that Meta experienced in AI wearables.
This means that Gross, who previously led Apple's AI team after the iPhone maker acquired his startup, will be able to have a better known role in Meta if he joins. Zuckerberg also got some of the top researchers from Openai and Google Deepmind and filled out his new AI team.
Nevertheless, Sutskever may fill his hands as the CEO of a safe Superintelligence. While serving previous high positions such as Openai's chief scientist, the CEO role could be facing new challenges, such as raising new capital from investors or recruiting top talent. In his post, Sutskever said he will continue to oversee the technical team at Safe Superintelligence.