Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI’s former chief scientist, testified on Monday defending his role in the November 2023 ouster of CEO Sam Altman, according to WIRED. During his testimony, Sutskever stated “I didn’t want it to be destroyed,” explaining his motivation for participating in Altman’s removal from the company he co-founded.
According to WIRED, Sutskever came to OpenAI’s defense during the proceedings despite being estranged from the organization. The testimony marks one of the first public statements from Sutskever about the dramatic leadership crisis that briefly saw Altman removed from his position before being reinstated days later. Sutskever, who was part of the board that initially voted to remove Altman, later signed a letter calling for Altman’s return and the board’s resignation.
Sutskever departed OpenAI in May 2024 and has since founded Safe Superintelligence Inc., a new AI safety-focused company. His Monday testimony provides insight into his perspective on the November events that shook the AI industry and briefly threw OpenAI’s leadership into turmoil.