Just Announced! Ilya Sutskever Declares Himself CEO as Co-Founder Poached by Meta}
Ilya Sutskever, co-founder of OpenAI, officially becomes CEO of Safe Superintelligence after Meta's recruitment of Daniel Gross, signaling major shifts in AI leadership and strategy.
Meta’s recruiter has finally targeted the renowned Ilya Sutskever.
Early Friday, Ilya Sutskever, co-founder of OpenAI, made a rare public statement on social media.
I sent the following message to our team and investors:
As you know, Daniel Gross’s time at our company is coming to an end. Since June 29, he has officially left Safe Superintelligence (SSI). We thank him for his early contributions and wish him success in his future endeavors.
I am now officially the CEO of SSI, with Daniel Levy as President, and the technical team reporting directly to me. You may have heard rumors of acquisition interest. We are honored by their attention, but we are focused on our own work.
We have computing power, a team, and a clear direction. We will continue to build safe superintelligence together.
This declaration confirms the rumors that Meta once attempted to acquire SSI entirely. Meanwhile, Daniel Gross’s departure adds uncertainty to the company’s future, which was founded less than a year ago.
SSI was established in June last year. Its co-founders include former Apple AI executive Daniel Gross, Y-Combinator partner Daniel Levy, and Ilya Sutskever.
Daniel Gross, Ilya Sutskever, and Daniel Levy.
As a star startup aiming to tackle the ultimate goal of AI—superintelligence—SSI has carried high hopes since its inception. Sutskever, celebrated for breakthroughs in generative AI, has attracted significant funding, with a valuation reaching $32 billion in April during a new $1 billion funding round.
However, due to its ambitious and long-term focus, SSI has yet to release any technology or product. To reassure investors, SSI announced a “steady expansion” plan, deliberately isolating its progress from short-term commercial pressures.
People are left speculating about Ilya’s activities, and SSI’s minimalist website has become a topic of discussion.
It seems Ilya’s motto of “building just one product” has been consistently followed.
After declaring himself CEO, Sutskever may face more challenges, balancing leadership of SSI’s technical team with talent recruitment, fundraising, and other responsibilities.
Meanwhile, Daniel Gross responded on X (Twitter), saying: “Ilya and Daniel have built an excellent team. I am honored to assist SSI’s startup. The future looks bright, and I look forward to miracles.”
In June, reports emerged that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was negotiating to acquire part of venture capital firm NFDG, which holds stakes in top AI startups. Daniel Gross, one of the leaders of NFDG, was also a co-founder of Safe Superintelligence.
Gross previously led Apple’s AI team and is expected to focus on AI products at Meta, working closely with Zuckerberg and Alexander Wang.
References:
https://x.com/ilyasut/status/1940802278979690613
https://www.reuters.com/business/sutskever-lead-safe-superintelligence-after-meta-poaches-ceo-gross-ai-talent-war-2025-07-03/
https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/03/ilya-sutskever-will-lead-safe-superintelligence-following-his-ceos-exit/