Andrej Karpathy departs OpenAI again, citing personal projects

Respected research scientist Andrej Karpathy has announced his departure from OpenAI for the second time, emphasizing that there was no underlying drama or specific reason for his exit.

Karpathy, a founding member of OpenAI, previously left the company in 2017 to join Tesla, where he led the autopilot team. After departing Tesla in 2022, he returned to OpenAI. During his tenure, Karpati has earned a significant audience on social media and YouTube, sharing his knowledge of artificial intelligence and its inner workings.

While the company confirmed his departure, attributing it to his pursuit of personal projects, Karpathy expressed gratitude for his time at OpenAI. His responsibilities have been transferred to another senior researcher within the company.

Karpathy’s departure comes amid ongoing changes at OpenAI, including the recent reinstatement of CEO Sam Altman.