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OpenAI co-founder John Schulman said he joined Anthropic in August 2024 to focus more deeply on AI alignment and return to hands-on technical work. He described the move as a personal career choice—not a response to a lack of support for alignment research at OpenAI. By February 2025, reports said he had left Anthropic and was joining Mira Murati’s startup, though his role and the reason for his departure were not clear.
Why did John Schulman leave OpenAI for Anthropic?
Schulman’s move was reported on August 5, 2024. In statements reproduced by TechCrunch and CRN, he said he wanted to concentrate more on AI alignment and return to hands-on technical work. He also expected Anthropic to offer new perspectives and the chance to research alongside people focused on subjects that interested him.
“This choice stems from my desire to deepen my focus on AI alignment, and to start a new chapter of my career where I can return to hands-on technical work.”
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He described the choice as personal, based on how he wanted to focus his efforts in the next phase of his career. He explicitly said he was not leaving because OpenAI lacked support for alignment research. He also said he believed Anthropic would let him gain new perspectives and do research with people deeply engaged with those topics. These statements explain his own rationale; they do not establish that one company offered better support or research conditions than the other.
What did Schulman do at OpenAI?
TechCrunch reported that Schulman led OpenAI’s reinforcement-training organization and later headed alignment-science efforts, also referred to as the post-training team. CRN likewise described his work in post-training and alignment science. His move therefore drew attention not only because he was an OpenAI co-founder, but also because of his work on training and alignment.
Did John Schulman stay at Anthropic?
No. On February 6, 2025, TechCrunch reported that Schulman had left Anthropic after five months. That report said he had not publicly announced his next plans at that point. The five-month duration is the outlet’s reported account; the reviewed coverage does not establish precise start and end dates.
Also on February 6, Fortune reported, citing two sources familiar with the move, that Schulman was joining Mira Murati’s stealth startup. Fortune said the company had not announced a name or clear product direction, and that Schulman’s role and the reason for his Anthropic departure were unclear. These later developments were reported by TechCrunch and Fortune; they do not confirm his current employer or exact position.
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- August 5, 2024: TechCrunch reported that Schulman was leaving OpenAI for Anthropic and gave his stated reasons.
- August 2024: CRN covered the announcement and his OpenAI post-training and alignment-science work.
- February 6, 2025: TechCrunch reported that Schulman had left Anthropic after five months.
- February 6, 2025: Fortune reported that he was joining Murati’s startup, while noting that his role and the reason for his Anthropic exit were unclear.
The reports establish the broad sequence, but not Schulman’s exact Anthropic role, precise transition dates, reason for leaving Anthropic, or specific role at Murati’s startup.
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