Hieu Pham worked at XAI before OpenAI. XAI is Elon Musk’s AI company, whose GrokAI is used worldwide. Many questions are being raised due to Hieu Pham leaving the company. One user Mark wrote- You worked with the best people in the world and still you decided to leave the company? Something doesn’t seem right.
Another user Rachel Ramsey wrote-
People on LinkedIn are already predicting that 2026 will be a year of mental and physical fatigue for developers due to the advances in AI. Balance is very important in life.
Wes Winder wrote on X-
Generally, using AI is external and mentally tiring. I can’t even imagine what it’s like to work inside.
Another user Atanu wrote-
This is another aspect of AI development that no one talks about. Creating a system to improve the lives of humans and sacrificing one’s life to do so is a big problem. Be sure to spend time at home with your family.
What did Hieu Pham say about leaving OpenAI?
‘I have made the difficult decision to leave @OpenAI. Working here after @xai was the best opportunity of my life. I have met the best people. In these companies I have helped create highly intelligent entities that will make our lives better. This work makes me feel proud. But this hard work had to be paid at a price. Can’t believe I’m saying this. I am tired. The decline in my mental health that I used to make fun of earlier is true. I’m going to take a break from Frontier AI Labs. I will take my family to my country Vietnam. I will try something new there and also find a cure for my diseases. I hope I will be fine.
Hieu Pham holds a degree in computer science.
According to TOI report, Hieu Pham has studied Bachelor in Computer Science from Stanford University. He also holds a Doctor of Philosophy – PhD in Machine Learning from Carnegie Mellon University. Pham started his career with Baidu USA in 2015 as a research intern. Moved to Google in April 2018 and to xAI in August 2024. Hiu joined OpenAI only last year.