OpenAI Co-Founder Schulman Joins Anthropic

In a surprising move, John Schulman, one of OpenAI’s original co-founders, has left the company to join rival AI startup Anthropic. Schulman announced his decision on X, citing a desire to focus more on AI alignment and hands-on technical work. OpenAI president Greg Brockman is also taking an extended leave until the end of the year to “relax and recharge.”

Peter Deng, who joined OpenAI last year, has also departed. Schulman’s contributions, especially in developing ChatGPT, have been significant, and he expressed confidence in OpenAI’s continued success.

With Schulman’s exit, only three of the original 11 OpenAI founders remain: CEO Sam Altman, Brockman, and Wojciech Zaremba. Altman praised Schulman for his brilliance and friendship, wishing him the best at Anthropic.