--- title: "Sam Altman Says He Has “Zero Ill Will” Toward Guy Who Shanked Him" description: "OpenAI's on-again CEO Sam Altman is back with a vengeance — but not, apparently, when it comes to cofounder Ilya Sutskever." date: "2023-11-30" modified: "2023-11-30" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/altman-sutskever-zero-ill-will" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "OpenAI" tags: - "ilya sutskever" - "OpenAI" - "sam altman" - "the digest" --- # Sam Altman Says He Has “Zero Ill Will” Toward Guy Who Shanked Him ![OpenAI's on-again CEO Sam Altman is back with a vengeance — but not, apparently, when it comes to cofounder Ilya Sutskever.]() *\Image: Justin Sullivan via Getty / Futurism\* ## Ill, Not Sick OpenAI's on-again CEO Sam Altman is back with a vengeance — or, perhaps, a lack thereof. In a statement to staff [published on the firm's website](), Altman was all love for his coworkers. Including those who, just a few weeks prior, pushed him out over some murky claims about dishonesty towards the board of directors before reversing course and moving to [have him return](). The newly-reinstated CEO had particular rapprochement when addressing chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, his fellow OpenAI cofounder who both orchestrated his initial ouster and broke the bad news to him ([over a video call](), no less). "I love and respect Ilya, I think he's a guiding light of the field and a gem of a human being," Altman wrote. "I harbor zero ill will towards him." Sutskever's position at the company sounds hazy, though he's definitely no longer on the board. "While Ilya will no longer serve on the board," Altman continued, "we hope to continue our working relationship and are discussing how he can continue his work at OpenAI." Whether he is simply paying lip service to Sutskever's role in building the company or betraying further internal struggle in the wake of the dramatic (and [ultimately failed]()) coup is anyone's guess, but there's certainly no shortage of secrets behind the green curtain that is OpenAI. ## Strange Days Adding to the mystery of what the heck is happening at OpenAI is the fact that Sutskever has long been a strange figure within the [already bizarre firm](). Months before OpenAI released ChatGPT, the researcher [cryptically tweeted]() that "it may be that today's large neural networks are slightly conscious," and in the weeks leading up to Altman's ouster was quoted in a documentary saying he was worried that artificial general intelligence (AGI), which the company is explicitly looking to build, [may treat humans like animals](). In the wake of Altman's initial firing, reports about [Sutskever's strange behavior]() — which involves, among other claims, acting as OpenAI's "spiritual leader" and having employees chant "feel the AGI" — were dwarfed by the man himself admitting that he was regretful of his "[participation in the board's actions]()" to sack the CEO. More recently, he quote-tweeted the [company's announcement]() of Altman's triumphant return with his own effusive declaration. "There exists no sentence in any language that conveys how happy I am," [Sutskever tweeted](), deepening the mystery of what the future holds for OpenAI — and whether it will include the Brutus to Altman's Caesar. **More on OpenAI:** [*OpenAI Refuses to Comment on Secretive Q\* AI*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()