Ilya Sutskever will lead Safe Superintelligence following his CEO’s exit

Ilya Sutskever, a co-founder of OpenAI, is stepping into the role of CEO at Safe Superintelligence, the AI startup he established in 2024. In a recent announcement on X, Sutskever revealed that Daniel Gross, the company's co-founder and outgoing CEO, officially left the organization on June 29. Daniel Levy, another co-founder, will assume the position of president. This transition comes amid speculation that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was in advanced negotiations to recruit Gross, alongside his longtime investment partner, Nat Friedman, the former GitHub CEO. Reports indicated that Zuckerberg had even attempted to acquire the entire startup, which is currently valued at an impressive $32 billion. Addressing these rumors, Sutskever expressed gratitude for the attention their company has garnered but emphasized their commitment to their mission. "We are flattered by their interest but remain focused on continuing our work," he stated. "We have the compute power, the team, and a clear vision. Together, we will advance safe superintelligence." In his message, Sutskever acknowledged Gross's contributions but clarified that his departure might raise questions about the future direction of Safe Superintelligence. The startup prides itself on being the world's first dedicated lab for developing safe superintelligence, with no distractions from other products or objectives. Sutskever launched Safe Superintelligence shortly after his departure from OpenAI, where he was involved in the brief ousting of CEO Sam Altman. Meanwhile, it appears that Meta’s new Superintelligence Labs will focus on technologies that support a wide range of the company's offerings. In a memo, Zuckerberg highlighted Meta's capability in creating products that cater to billions and mentioned early successes in AI wearables. Should Gross join Meta, he would likely resume a familiar role, leveraging his experience leading AI teams at Apple. Additionally, Zuckerberg has recruited top researchers from both OpenAI and Google DeepMind to enhance his AI team. As Sutskever transitions into his new responsibilities as CEO of Safe Superintelligence, he will face fresh challenges, including the need to attract investment and top-tier talent. He confirmed in his announcement that he will maintain oversight of the company's technical team.