Ilya may not be the only founder. Sam was coordinating it, Elon provided vital capital (and also access to Ilya).
But out of the co-founders, especially if we believe Elon's and Hinton's description of him, he may have been the one that mattered most for their scientific achievements.
But out of the co-founders, especially if we believe Elon's and Hinton's description of him, he may have been the one that mattered most for their scientific achievements.