Ex-OpenAI Founder Ilya Sutskever Strikes Back!

Ilia Suk's New AI Venture: Safe Super Intelligence

Background on Ilia Suk and OpenAI

• Ilia Suk, a co-founder of OpenAI, has launched a new AI company called SSI, which aims to compete with OpenAI.

• A coup led by Ilia resulted in the firing of Sam Altman from OpenAI, raising questions about internal conflicts within the organization.

• The official reason for Altman's departure was cited as a lack of candor in communications with the board, implying dishonesty.

The Aftermath of the Coup

• Following his brief ousting, Sam Altman returned to lead OpenAI after negotiations involving Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella.

• Speculation suggests that Ilia was concerned about OpenAI's approach to safety and product development regarding AGI (Artificial General Intelligence).

Transition to Safe Super Intelligence Inc. (SSI)

• After a period of silence post-coup, Ilia announced his departure from OpenAI on May 14th, 2024.

• In his announcement, he expressed confidence in OpenAI's future but many doubt his sincerity given his subsequent actions.

Innovations and Technologies

• Discussions around technologies like Strawberry and QAR indicate advancements in long-term reasoning capabilities for language models.

• These technologies are reportedly being utilized to generate synthetic data for GPT-5 due to limitations in available public data.

SSI's Mission and Business Model

• SSI is focused on developing safe super intelligence as its primary goal amidst concerns over safety practices at OpenAI.

• The company claims its singular focus allows it to avoid distractions from commercial pressures while pursuing its mission.

Concerns About Funding and Incentives

• There are doubts about how SSI can maintain its focus on safety without succumbing to venture capital pressures for financial returns.

Key Personnel at SSI

Y Combinator's Youngest Founder and SSI's Billion-Dollar Funding

Founders and Background of Safe Super Intelligence (SSI)

• The youngest founder accepted into Y Combinator in 2010 launched a company acquired by Apple in 2013.

• Daniel Levy, co-founder of SSI, holds a PhD in Computer Science from Stanford University and has worked at Facebook, Google, and OpenAI.

• The collaboration among these founders likely began during their time at OpenAI.

SSI's Impressive Funding Round

• SSI has raised $1 billion primarily based on an idea, reflecting the current investor enthusiasm for AI companies.

• The three founders are recognized as leading figures in the AI industry; SSI is valued at $5 billion just three months post-launch.

• Funds will be allocated to acquire computing power and top talent to align with their mission.

Investor Dynamics and Conflicts of Interest

• Notable investors include Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and Sequoia Capital, both prominent venture capitalists in Silicon Valley.

• There appears to be a misalignment between commercialization goals and the mission of reaching AGI safely; this raises questions about investment ethics.

• Both a16z and Sequoia have also invested heavily in OpenAI, creating potential conflicts of interest given that SSI may compete directly with OpenAI.

Corporate Structure Comparisons

• Unlike OpenAI’s complex corporate structure aimed at AI safety—which contributed to leadership changes—SSI operates under a standard for-profit model.

Hiring Philosophy at SSI

• SSI emphasizes hiring individuals with good character over traditional credentials or experience; they seek candidates genuinely interested in their work rather than hype.