OpenAI’s Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati has announced her departure from the company, intending to pursue her own research.
I shared the following note with the OpenAI team today. pic.twitter.com/nsZ4khI06P
— Mira Murati (@miramurati) September 25, 2024
“After much thought, I have made the difficult decision to leave OpenAI. There is never a perfect time to leave a place you cherish, but now feels right. The six and a half years with the team have been an extraordinary privilege,” wrote Murati.
The startup’s CEO, Sam Altman, thanked her for her contributions to the company’s achievements and support.
I replied with this. Mira, thank you for everything.
It’s hard to overstate how much Mira has meant to OpenAI, our mission, and to us all personally.
I feel tremendous gratitude towards her for what she has helped us build and accomplish, but I most of all feel personal…
— Sam Altman (@sama) September 25, 2024
Hours after Murati’s announcement, it was revealed that Chief Scientist Bob McGrew and Vice President of Research Barrett Zoph had also resigned. Altman stated that these decisions were made by mutual agreement and independently of each other.
Mark Chen has been appointed as Vice President of Research, and Jakub Pachocki will replace McGrew.
In August, OpenAI co-founder John Schulman left for the rival AI startup Anthropic, while President Greg Brockman took an extended leave until the end of the year.
The leadership changes come amid negotiations to attract new investments at a valuation of $150 billion.
Altman has planned a change in the startup’s corporate structure to attract funding.