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Ilya Sutskever’s incredible journey from OpenAI co-founder and Chief Scientist to alleged attempted coup ringleader against friend Sam Altman to journeyman in the tech wilderness has reached a new milestone. He has secured a $1 billion funding round for his new venture from some of the biggest venture capital names in Silicon Valley, including Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, DST Global and SV Angel NFDG.
According to Reuters, which broke the news, Sutskever’s company Safe Superintelligence Inc. (SSI) just earned the massive check in cash and is now valued at $5 billion. Sutskever co-founded the company in June 2024 with fellow former OpenAI researcher Daniel Levy and Apple’s former AI lead and Cue co-founder Daniel Gross.
Sutskever took to X to celebrate the news and acknowledge the massive challenge ahead of him and his collaborators, writing: “Mountain: identified. Time to climb.”
SSI will focus on ‘safe’ AI ‘superintelligence’
On its website, SSI writes that it will eschew the productization that OpenAI and other AI startups have pursued — and which allegedly led to Sutskever and other researchers’ increasing disillusionment with Altman — instead focusing entirely on developing a “safe” artificial “superintelligence.”The latter term refers to AI that is vastly smarter and more capable than most (or all) human beings. As SSI’s website states:
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“SSI is our mission, our name, and our entire product roadmap, because it is our sole focus. Our team, investors, and business model are all aligned to achieve SSI.
We approach safety and capabilities in tandem, as technical problems to be solved through revolutionary engineering and scientific breakthroughs. We plan to advance capabilities as fast as possible while making sure our safety always remains ahead.
This way, we can scale in peace.
Our singular focus means no distraction by management overhead or product cycles, and our business model means safety, security, and progress are all insulated from short-term commercial pressures.“
Continued support for AI research
SSI is valued at $5 billion according to sources. It has just 10 employees and is split between Palo Alto and Tel Aviv. The funding will be used to acquire computing power and attract top talent.
Despite general industry trends of waning interest in long-term AI research, the company has gained strong financial backing.
Reuters reports that SSI plans to focus on research and development over the next few years, with an emphasis on building a trusted, skilled team. Instead of prioritizing credentials, SSI seeks individuals with strong character and dedication to the mission.
The company seized the news of its new funding to open a call to new software engineering hires. Those interested are invited to apply online here.
For enterprise decision makers, the news shows continued faith in AI products led by top talent, as well as indicating a potential major new AI model rival to OpenAI and other industry leaders. It also signals an increasing war for top software engineering talent, now fueled by some of the biggest names in the Valley.
