CTO Mira Murati leaves OpenAI as other execs depart
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Mira Murati Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
OpenAI CTO Mira Murati is leaving the company after 6½ years "to create the time and space to do my own exploration," she announced in an X post on Wednesday.
Driving the news: CEO Sam Altman announced the departure of two other executives and made several new appointments at the end of the day.
Catch up quick: When OpenAI briefly ousted CEO Sam Altman, the board named Murati as interim CEO.
Also departing OpenAI are Bob McGrew, chief research officer, and Barret Zoph, VP of research, Altman said in a post on X.
- "Mira, Bob, and Barret made these decisions independently of each other and amicably," Altman's post said.
- Mark Chen will be OpenAI's new senior VP of research and Jakub Pachocki will become chief scientist, per Altman's post.
Zoom in: "For now, my primary focus is doing everything in my power to ensure a smooth transition, maintaining the momentum we've built," Murati wrote.
- Altman thanked Murati in a response to her X announcement and said, "We'll say more about the transition plans soon, but for now, I want to take a moment to just feel thanks."
- OpenAI declined to comment beyond Altman's tweet, and a representative for Murati declined to comment beyond her statement.
Zoom out: Murati's exit is resurfacing a series of existential questions that have surrounded OpenAI since last year's abrupt firing and rehiring of Altman.
- These departures come on top of a series of previous exits, including co-founder Ilya Sutskever and Jan Leike, who headed the company's long-term safety effort known as "superalignment."
- Also swirling is the question of whether a restructuring could follow a new round of investment, potentially shifting the company further from its non-profit roots.
The intrigue: In March, the New York Times reported that Murati played a "pivotal role" in Altman's firing. Murati then described the story as "the previous board's efforts to scapegoat me with anonymous and misleading claims."
