Why Stability AI CEO Emad Mostaque Resigned

Emad Mostaque has resigned as CEO of Stability AI, the startup behind Stable Diffusion, to pursue decentralized AI. Stability AI confirmed the news in an official press release, saying he will also be stepping down from his position on the company’s Board of Directors.

Stability AI is looking for a permanent CEO to lead the company to new growth and heights. The Board of Directors at Stability AI has appointed Shan Shan Wong, the Chief Operating Officer, and Christian Laforte, the Chief Technology Officer, interim co-CEOs.

Also Read: Stability AI Introducing Stable Video Diffusion: A Leap in Generative Video AI

Jim O’Shaughnessy, Chairman of the Board at Stability AI, said in the press release, “On behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to thank Emad for his leadership and relentless commitment to Stability AI and the open source movement.” 

He further added, “As we search for a permanent CEO, I have full confidence that Shan Shan Wong and Christian Laforte, in their roles as interim co-CEOs, will adeptly steer the company forward in developing and commercialising industry-leading generative AI products.

Their complementary skill sets and experience ideally suit them for this role, giving us confidence in our future and in our ability to emerge from this period as a stronger company.”

Why Stability AI CEO Emad Mostaque Resigned:

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Posting the official press release by Stability AI, Emad Mostaque also posted on X, formerly Twitter, about his resignation, saying, “I’m not going to beat centralized AI with more centralized AI.” 

Emad Mostaque also said in the press release, “I am proud two years after bringing on our first developer to have led Stability to hundreds of millions of downloads and the best models across modalities. I believe strongly in Stability AI’s mission and feel the company is in capable hands. It is now time to ensure AI remains open and decentralized.”

Earlier this week, Stability AI was already facing troubles as three of the key developers and researchers behind the technology of Stable Diffusion also resigned. This news floated amid the news of Mustafa Suleyman joining Microsoft to lead a new AI division. 

Also Read: Microsoft Taps DeepMind Co-Founder Suleyman to Lead New AI Division