OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever spent a year planning Sam Altman’s firing, court documents reveal

OpenAI

Nearly two years after Sam Altman’s dramatic firing and return as OpenAI’s CEO, newly unsealed court documents have pulled back the curtain on what really happened inside the world’s most powerful AI company. The revelations came from Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI’s co-founder and former chief scientist, whose explosive testimony in Elon Musk’s ongoing lawsuit against Altman paints a picture of deep mistrust, internal power struggles, and a plan that backfired spectacularly.

According to Sutskever’s deposition, he had been planning Altman’s removal for more than a year before the fateful week in November 2023. He told the court he had grown increasingly frustrated with Altman’s leadership, accusing him of “a consistent pattern of lying, manipulating executives, and pitting them against each other.” His concerns were compiled in a 52-page memo that he secretly sent to OpenAI’s independent board members through a disappearing email — a move he said was meant to prevent Altman from “making it disappear.”

Sutskever claimed much of his evidence came from screenshots shared by then–Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati, who he said had also been undermined by Altman. He accused the CEO of creating chaos within the top ranks — including between Sutskever himself and research director Jakub Pachocki, who now serves as OpenAI’s chief scientist — by giving conflicting messages about the company’s direction.

When the board finally voted to remove Altman on November 17, 2023, Sutskever expected employees to support the decision. Instead, what followed was an unprecedented rebellion. Within hours, hundreds of employees signed a letter threatening to resign unless Altman was reinstated. In total, 738 staff members stood by him, forcing the board’s hand. Just four days later, Altman was back as CEO, and Sutskever’s own position at the company began to crumble.

One of the more surprising twists revealed in the deposition was that, during Altman’s short absence, OpenAI’s board even explored a potential merger with rival AI firm Anthropic — one that could have put Anthropic’s leadership in charge. But as the employee revolt intensified, the idea was quickly abandoned.

By November 21, Altman had reclaimed his position, and those who had supported his firing — including Sutskever — either resigned or were pushed out. The episode not only cemented Altman’s grip over OpenAI but also exposed the internal fractures within the company that helped shape the future of artificial intelligence.

As Musk’s lawsuit continues, Sutskever’s testimony offers the clearest look yet at the “six-day story” that shocked Silicon Valley — a tale of ambition, betrayal, and loyalty in a company racing to define humanity’s AI future.