OpenAI is undergoing a significant leadership change, with three top executives announcing their departure, including Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati. Murati, who played a pivotal role in the development of ChatGPT and the AI image generator Dall-E, revealed her decision to leave in a post on social media platform X on Wednesday.
Shortly after, Chief Research Officer Bob McGrew and Vice President of Research Barret Zoph also announced their exits.
Murati, who has been with OpenAI for six-and-a-half years, described her time at the company as an “extraordinary privilege” but said she felt the time was right to move on.
“There’s never an ideal time to step away from a place one cherishes, yet this moment feels right,” she said.
These exits come amidst ongoing leadership changes at OpenAI, as the company looks to raise funds and restructure its operations.
OpenAI, which started as a non-profit research lab, has transitioned into a for-profit venture and is reportedly in talks for a new fundraising round that could value the company at $150 billion.
CEO Sam Altman acknowledged the departures in a post on X, thanking the executives for their contributions.
He noted that although the decisions were made independently, the timing aligned, allowing for a smoother leadership transition.
Murati, who joined OpenAI in 2018 after working at Tesla and Ultraleap, was instrumental in launching ChatGPT in 2022, propelling the company into global prominence.
She also played a key role in advancing GPT-4o, a model that brought spoken conversations to ChatGPT, and OpenAI o1, which improves AI’s ability to solve complex problems.
Bob McGrew, who has been with OpenAI since 2017, said he plans to “take a break” but will stay on for two months to assist with the transition. Zoph, who joined OpenAI in 2022, said it felt like the right time to explore new opportunities.
Altman also announced new leadership appointments, including Mark Chen as Senior Vice President of Research and Josh Achiam as Head of Mission Alignment.
While OpenAI did not provide details about the timeline for Murati’s departure or the appointment of a new CTO, the company emphasized that it remains committed to its mission despite the leadership changes.
