Mira Murati, the chief technology officer of OpenAI, announced her resignation on Wednesday, expressing her desire for “the time and space to do my own exploration.” Murati was a key executive at OpenAI, which is known for developing ChatGPT, and briefly took on the role of CEO last year during a turbulent period for the organization.
In her farewell message to OpenAI staff posted on X, she acknowledged that there is never an ideal time to leave a cherished position but felt that now is the right moment. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responded to her post, emphasizing Murati’s significant contributions to the company and expressing his personal gratitude for her support during challenging times.
Further elaborating in a subsequent post, Altman acknowledged Murati’s essential role in OpenAI’s growth over the past 6.5 years, highlighting her influence in transforming the organization from a small research lab into a significant player in the industry. While expressing his sadness at her decision to leave, he affirmed his support for her choice.
Altman also shared news of additional executive departures, including chief research officer Bob McGrew and vice president of research Barret Zoph, without announcing a successor for Murati. He provided details of a new leadership structure in response to these changes.
Murati, who declined to offer further comments through a personal spokesperson, joined OpenAI in 2018 after working at Tesla and Leap Motion. At that time, OpenAI was primarily a nonprofit focused on creating AI that could perform human-like tasks. The success of ChatGPT has led to a significant expansion of the organization, which has shifted its focus towards commercial prospects.
Murati had previously expressed her belief that AI would represent a pivotal technological advancement for humanity. OpenAI’s board was dramatically reshuffled last November, leading to a brief leadership crisis involving Altman’s removal and subsequent reinstatement due to employee and investor pressure.
Several key executives have departed OpenAI in recent months, including Ilya Sutskever, who left in May after a board vote to oust Altman, and Jan Leike and John Schulman, who followed suit. Greg Brockman, a cofounder and board member, also announced a sabbatical.
Amid these significant changes, former OpenAI executives have been launching new AI ventures, with Sutskever recently founding Safe Superintelligence and others creating companies like Anthropic, which has emerged as a competitor.
As of now, a specific departure date for Murati has not been established, and discussions are ongoing to ensure a seamless transition within the company.