John Schulman, a co-founder of OpenAI, has left the company to join its competitor, Anthropic. Schulman announced his departure on August 6, stating his desire to focus more intently on AI alignment and hands-on technical work. Despite the controversy surrounding OpenAI’s approach to AI safety, Schulman clarified that his decision was not due to a lack of support from the company but rather a personal choice to pursue new perspectives and research opportunities at Anthropic.
Schulman’s departure comes amidst significant changes at OpenAI, including the quiet exit of product manager Peter Deng and an extended leave of absence by President Greg Brockman. Additionally, OpenAI has seen the departure of other key figures, including Ilya Sutskever, who left to start a new company, Safe Superintelligence Inc.
Anthropic, founded in 2021 by former OpenAI vice president of research Dario Amodei and his sister Daniela Amodei, has quickly become a fierce rival. As both companies compete to develop advanced AI models, Schulman’s move to Anthropic signifies a notable shift in the AI research landscape. Meanwhile, OpenAI continues to navigate its internal changes and commitments to AI safety and innovation.
