Ilya Sutskever’s AI startup eyes $20 billion valuation after quadrupling in months
Safe Superintelligence, co-founded by the OpenAI veteran, has yet to reveal its technology but is already attracting major investors.
The secretive artificial intelligence startup founded by Ilya Sutskever, a former Israeli and one of OpenAI’s co-founders, is in talks to raise capital at a $20 billion valuation. This staggering valuation, reminiscent of 2021’s peak investment frenzy, is remarkable given how little is known about the company so far—except that it has two locations: one in Silicon Valley and another in Tel Aviv.
Ilya Sutskever’s Safe Superintelligence expands in Tel Aviv amid $20 billion funding talks
Sutskever, who served as OpenAI’s chief scientist and played a key role in its breakthroughs, left the company in May 2024. Shortly after, he announced the launch of his own startup, Safe Superintelligence. The company has already raised $1 billion at a $5 billion valuation, largely based on Sutskever’s reputation as the scientific force behind OpenAI’s advancements. If the latest funding round materializes, it would mark a fourfold increase in valuation within just a few months.
Sutskever, who immigrated to Israel as a child before moving to Canada for university, co-founded Safe Superintelligence with two other former Israelis—Daniel Levy and Daniel Gross. The initial funding round was led by Silicon Valley powerhouses Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz, along with DST Global, the investment firm of billionaire Yuri Milner.
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Despite its soaring valuation, the company has yet to unveil any technology or products. So far, it has only announced hiring efforts, including for its Tel Aviv development center. According to Sutskever, Safe Superintelligence aims to build AI models that surpass human intelligence while remaining aligned with human interests. This statement hints at possible philosophical differences with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, particularly regarding the risks and boundaries of advanced AI development.
The timing of the fundraising presents an intriguing challenge for the Western AI industry. It comes just weeks after China’s DeepSeek emerged, claiming to have achieved results comparable to OpenAI’s models with an investment of mere millions—far less than the billions being poured into Western AI startups.
