Mira Murati, the Chief Technology Officer of OpenAI, announced on Wednesday that she is stepping down from the company. Murati played a key role in the development of ChatGPT and the AI-powered image generator Dall-E.
In a note to the OpenAI team, Murati wrote, "My six-and-a-half years with the OpenAI team have been an extraordinary privilege. There's never an ideal time to step away from a place one cherishes, yet this moment feels right."
Murati joins a growing list of senior executives who have recently left OpenAI. This leadership shakeup comes as the company seeks to raise more funds from investors and generate revenue more easily.
OpenAI is reportedly in talks for a new fundraising round, which could value the company at $150 billion.
Murati joined OpenAI in 2018 after working at the augmented reality company Ultraleap (formerly Leap Motion) and Tesla. She was instrumental in leading OpenAI’s rise in the tech world following the public release of ChatGPT in 2022.
Recently, she oversaw the development of major models like GPT-4o and OpenAI o1. Murati stated that her decision to leave is to "create time and space for my own exploration" and that she will assist with the leadership transition.
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, responded to Murati’s post by expressing his deep appreciation for her contributions and support during challenging times, noting the company will soon provide more details about the leadership transition.
