
Ilya Sutskever. Photo: Jack Guez / AFP via Getty Images
OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, who led a board rebellion at the company to force out CEO Sam Altman, now says he "deeply regret[s] my participation in the board's actions."
Why it matters: More than 500 of OpenAI's 700-plus employees threatened to resign in an open letter if Sutskever and other board members do not step down.
- The workers threatened to move over to Microsoft's new artificial intelligence research unit that Altman and former OpenAI president Greg Brockman will build.
What he's saying: "I never intended to harm OpenAI. I love everything we've built together and I will do everything I can to reunite the company," Sutskever wrote in a message on X, formerly Twitter.
Catch up quick: Altman's removal from the company last Friday shocked the tech industry, even blindsiding Microsoft, a key OpenAI investor.
- His firing stemmed from a culture clash within the company regarding the pace of AI development.
- Twitch co-founder Emmett Shear said on Monday he accepted an offer to become the company's interim CEO.
The big picture: Sutskever, a veteran AI researcher, harbors deep concerns about the dangers of advanced AI.
- He persuaded other board members that Altman's accelerated approach to AI deployment and commercialization was too risky.
- OpenAI's explanation for Altman's firing claimed that he was "not consistently candid" with the board.
Go deeper: How tensions over profitability at OpenAI turned into a full-blown crisis
Editor's note: This story was updated with new developments and additional background.