Sutskever's testimony reveals why Altman was abruptly ousted from OpenAI
What's the story
Sam Altman's brief removal as CEO of OpenAI in November 2023, was a major shocker. The board members, including his long-time collaborator and co-founder Ilya Sutskever, had claimed that Altman "was not consistently candid in his communications with the board," which undermined their confidence in him. However, Altman was reinstated within a week after hundreds of employees threatened to resign. Now, new details have emerged from Sutskever's deposition in Elon Musk's ongoing lawsuit against Altman and OpenAI.
Testimony details
Sutskever accused Altman of being manipulative
During nearly 10 hours of questioning, Sutskever testified that he had witnessed Altman manipulate high-ranking executives and provide conflicting information about his plans for the company. He said Altman would tell people what they wanted to hear, which created an impression of a leader who was manipulative and chameleon-like in the relentless pursuit of his own agenda.
Discontent
Sutskever was asked to document concerns about Altman
Sutskever, who co-founded OpenAI with Altman and others after leaving Google in 2015, had become a chronicler of dissatisfaction with Altman by 2023. He revealed that one or all three of OpenAI's independent board members at the time had asked him to prepare a collection of screenshots and other documentation about executives' concerns over Altman. Sutskever complied and sent a 52-page memo to board members Adam D'Angelo, Helen Toner, and Tasha McCauley.
Concerns raised
Sutskever wanted to propose Altman's removal in 2022
Sutskever said he had been waiting to propose Altman's removal for "at least a year" before it happened. He also sent a separate memo detailing concerns about OpenAI president Greg Brockman. The memos were sent as disappearing emails, but "various lawyers" have copies of both, according to the deposition. Sutskever's main issue was that Altman "exhibits a consistent pattern of lying, undermining his execs, and pitting his execs against one another."
Accusations
'Altman was playing both sides'
Sutskever claimed that Altman told both him and Jakub Pachocki, now OpenAI's chief scientist, "conflicting things about the way the company would be run," setting them at odds. He also faulted Altman for not taking a firm position when former OpenAI research executive Dario Amodei wanted to run "all of research at OpenAI" and have Brockman fired. This implied that Altman was playing both sides to see which would better come out in his favor.
Leadership concerns
Murati accused Altman of pitting her against Daniela Amodei
Sutskever also claimed that former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati had accused Altman of pitting her and Daniela Amodei, then an OpenAI research executive, against each other. He said Murati had provided him with various screenshots and documentation of conversations, including a text message conversation between Altman and Brockman. Murati also surfaced claims that Altman left his leadership role at Y Combinator for "similar behaviors."
Official response
OpenAI responded to Sutskever's claims
Responding to Sutskever's testimony, an OpenAI spokesperson said, "The events of 2023 are behind us. These claims were fully examined during the board's independent review, which unanimously concluded Sam and Greg are the right leaders for OpenAI." This statement mirrors a 2024 comment by board chair Bret Taylor after an investigation by the company.