OpenAI Co-Founder Ilya Sutskever Assumes CEO Role at SSI, Rejects Meta’s Acquisition Overtures

Ilya Sutskever, co-founder of OpenAI, has taken the helm as CEO of SAFE Superintelligence Inc. (SSI), succeeding Daniel Gross who departed to lead Meta Platforms' AI products division. Gross' tenure concluded on June 29, with SSI co-founder Daniel Levy assuming the role of president. The technical team will continue reporting directly to Sutskever.

Meta's interest in SSI extended beyond talent acquisition—the social media giant explored purchasing the startup outright to integrate its research into Meta Superintelligence Labs. Sutskever's team declined, emphasizing their commitment to independent development of safe superintelligence. "We have the compute, we have the team, and we know what to do," Sutskever stated in an X post addressing acquisition rumors.

The AI startup, which secured $1 billion in funding last year, remains focused on its mission to develop AI systems that safely surpass human cognitive abilities. This transition occurs amid intensifying competition for AI talent, with tech giants across Silicon Valley offering seven-figure compensation packages to secure top researchers.