Mira Murati, the Chief Technology Officer of OpenAI, resigned on Wednesday, expressing her desire for “the time and space to do my own exploration.” Murati was one of the top executives at OpenAI, which is the organization behind ChatGPT, and she briefly served as its leader last year amid discussions about CEO Sam Altman’s future.
In her message to OpenAI staff shared on X, she reflected on her departure, stating, “There’s never an ideal time to step away from a place one cherishes, yet this moment feels right.” Altman responded to her post, highlighting her significant contributions to OpenAI and expressing personal gratitude for her support during challenging times.
No successor has been named yet.
Murati, through a spokesperson, chose not to provide further comments, and OpenAI has opted to refer all inquiries back to her statement on social media.
Before joining OpenAI in 2018, Murati held positions at Tesla and Leap Motion. When she joined, OpenAI was a small nonprofit research organization focused on creating advanced AI systems. Since the success of ChatGPT, the organization has rapidly expanded and shifted towards more commercial endeavors. It has been reassessing its nonprofit model as investors have increasingly expressed their interest in funding its ambitions.
Murati previously articulated her belief that AI technologies are among the most significant advancements humanity has ever achieved. She saw OpenAI’s mission as essential in developing technology that benefits society.
OpenAI faced turmoil last November when a board coup led to the temporary ousting of CEO Sam Altman, with Murati stepping in as interim leader. However, after a dramatic staff response and pressure from investors like Microsoft, Altman was reinstated with a new board.
Since then, several key figures in OpenAI’s leadership have departed, including Ilya Sutskever, a founding member who resigned in May, followed by engineer Jan Leike and safety lead John Schulman. Greg Brockman, a cofounder and board member, announced a sabbatical earlier this year.
Several former OpenAI executives have pursued new ventures, including Sutskever, who launched Safe Superintelligence, focusing on the safe development of AI. The former research chief, Dario Amodei, co-founded Anthropic in 2021, which has become a significant competitor in the AI space.
Currently, it remains unclear when Murati’s last day at OpenAI will be, as ongoing discussions with company leadership seek to ensure a smooth transition.