John Schulman, one of OpenAI’s original founders, has left Anthropic only five months after joining. His departure is stirring speculation about leadership shifts in major AI firms, especially as competition in the industry heats up.
Schulman, known for his groundbreaking work in reinforcement learning at OpenAI, made the move to Anthropic in late 2024—a shift that turned heads given Anthropic’s strong focus on AI safety.
Losing a key AI researcher so soon after bringing him on board raises questions about internal strategy or possible career pivots.
Anthropic confirmed Schulman’s exit but didn’t provide specifics on why he left. “sad to see John go, but we fully support his decision to pursue new opportunities.” a company staff said.
Anthropic, founded in 2021 by a group of former OpenAI employees, has positioned itself as a major player in niche ‘safer, more controllable AI systems’.
The fact that Schulman’s time there was so short hints at potential differences in vision or a personal decision to head in another direction.
His departure also highlights the ongoing talent shuffle within high-stakes AI research. Top firms like OpenAI, Anthropic, and DeepMind are locked in a race to build increasingly advanced, responsible AI models, and researchers frequently move between these competing teams.
