Mira Murati, OpenAI’s chief technology officer, announced on X (ex-Twitter) that she is leaving the company.
Often referred to as the main brains behind ChatGPT, Mira Murati has left OpenAI. After six and a half years at the startup, the former CTO announced her departure on X (formerly Twitter) this Wednesday, September 25.
In her post, Murati shares the letter she sent to employees. “After much consideration, I have made the difficult decision to leave OpenAI,” she said. “There has never been a better time to step away from a place you love, but this is the right time,” Murati added, before reflecting on the recent launch of o1, a more “conscious” version of ChatGPT.
“Ensuring a smooth transition”
In her letter, Murati thanks OpenAI co-founders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman for their trust and support. “My six and a half years on the OpenAI team have been an extraordinary privilege,” she says. She was also named the company’s new CEO after Altman was temporarily ousted last November.
Mira Murati remains somewhat vague about her reasons for leaving, saying she is leaving the startup to “create the time and space for my own exploration.” “Right now, my main focus is to do everything in my power to ensure a smooth transition, maintaining the momentum we’ve built,” she said.
The departure comes as several employees have left the startup in recent months. In May, Ilya Sutskever, one of its co-founders, stepped down after a decade at OpenAI. Jan Leike, the company’s former chief researcher, and Gretchen Krueger, a senior figure at the company, also resigned that month. All three decided to jump ship due to concerns about the ethical and societal implications of AI advances.
