An OpenAI Founder Discusses Anthropic Merger Talks, Internal Beefs in Deposition

Anthropic initially expressed “excitement” about a possible merger with OpenAI two years ago, after OpenAI’s board fired CEO Sam Altman, OpenAI co-founder and former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever told attorneys in a deposition made public this week.

Such a deal would have potentially placed Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei at the helm of OpenAI. He and his sister, Daniela Amodei, both left senior roles at OpenAI in 2020 over differences on how to run an AI startup given the pace of the technology’s advances and its potential risks. The deposition gives a rare window into how Altman’s top lieutenants and rivals maneuvered in the tumultuous days before and after his firing and subsequent rehiring.