Key Highlights –
- Mira Murati announces her departure from OpenAI after six and a half years.
- Known for her key role in developing ChatGPT and DALL-E, she served briefly as interim CEO during a turbulent period.
- Her exit comes amid a wave of other high-profile departures from the company.
“I’m stepping away because I want to create the time and space to do my own exploration,” said Mira Murati, OpenAI’s Chief Technology Officer, in a statement posted on X.
Murati, who has been responsible for developing ChatGPT and the artificial intelligence image generator DALL-E, announced her departure after over six years to explore new avenues.
In her departing statement, she spoke positively of the company and its CEO, Sam Altman, describing it as “at the pinnacle of AI innovation” and saying it’s hard to leave a place one cherishes.
The news comes just before the company’s annual DevDay conference in San Francisco next week.
According to the report, along with Murati, two other leaders at OpenAI are leaving: Bob McGrew, the chief research officer who recently spoke about the release of the o1 “reasoning” model just two weeks ago, and Barret Zoph, the VP of post-training.
In a separate note to employees shared on X, CEO Sam Altman mentioned that they “made these decisions independently of each other and amicably.”
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Mira Murati Statement on Her Journey at OpenAI
In her statement to colleagues, Murati emphasized her commitment to ensuring a smooth transition while reflecting on her remarkable journey at OpenAI.
Murti wrote, “For now, my primary focus is doing everything in my power to ensure a smooth transition, maintaining the momentum we’ve built. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to build and work alongside this remarkable team.”
She continued, “Together, we’ve pushed the boundaries of scientific understanding in our quest to improve human well-being. While I may no longer be in the trenches with you, I will still be rooting for you all. With deep gratitude for the friendships forged, the triumphs achieved, and most importantly, the challenges overcome together.”
I shared the following note with the OpenAI team today. pic.twitter.com/nsZ4khI06P
— Mira Murati (@miramurati) September 25, 2024
Murati indicated that “this moment feels right” to step away from her role, highlighting the exciting advancements OpenAI has made in the industry under her leadership.
She said “this moment feels right” to step away from OpenAI after six-and-half-years with the company and touted the ChatGPT maker’s recent advancements in the industry.
OpenAI CEO SAM Altman’s Reaction on Mira’s Statement
CEO Sam Altman didn’t miss the chance to acknowledge Murati’s contributions in a tweet, thanking her for her hard work.
“We’ll say more about the transition plans soon, but for now, I want to take a moment to just feel thanks,” he posted. “I feel tremendous gratitude towards her for what she has helped us build and accomplish, but I most of all feel personal gratitude towards her for the support and love during all the hard times.”
I replied with this. Mira, thank you for everything. It’s hard to overstate how much Mira has meant to OpenAI, our mission, and to us all personally. I feel tremendous gratitude towards her for what she has helped us build and accomplish, but I most of all feel personal… — Sam Altman (@sama) September 25, 2024
CEO Sam Altman announced that two other top executives would also be leaving the company. He noted that the departures of Mira Murati, Chief Research Officer Bob McGrew, and research leader Barret Zoph were made “independently of each other and amicably,” as he shared in a message to employees on social media.
Why Mira Murati is Leaving OpenAI?
Mira Murati’s decision to leave OpenAI has come just one week before the company’s annual developer conference, DevDay.
Her departure comes almost a year after a dramatic boardroom shake-up that led to the temporary ousting of CEO Sam Altman, during which Murati served as the interim leader. Over her six-year tenure at OpenAI, she launched ChatGPT and the text-to-image generator DALL-E.
1. Copyright Disputes
OpenAI has been sued for allegedly violating the copyrights of writers and newspapers, according to the New York Times.
In June, during a conversation at Dartmouth, she made a comment that some saw as a subtle threat to artists and writers. “Some creative jobs maybe will go away, but maybe they shouldn’t have been there in the first place,” Murati said.
2.The Altman’s Abrupt Ouster
When OpenAI’s previous board of directors abruptly fired Altman late last year, the board briefly installed Murati as interim CEO, according to the report.
Murati was a key figure during OpenCEO Sam Altman’s brief ouster last November. In the days following Altman’s ouster, Murati appeared to show support for him online while being named interim CEO. However, this only lasted a few days before OpenAI rehired Altman and Brockman.
However, this incident highlighted significant communication breakdowns and trust issues within the leadership structure, which may have contributed to a challenging work environment.
Just five days after Altman’s reinstatement, several high-profile executives began to exit OpenAI, signaling ongoing instability.
Notable resignations included:
- Ilya Sutskever: Co-founder and chief scientist who left in May 2024.
- Jan Leike: A machine learning researcher, also departed in May 2024.
- John Schulman: Co-founder who resigned in August 2024 to join rival AI firm Anthropic.
In May, OpenAI’s chief scientist Ilya Sutskever resigned earlier this year, citing concerns about the company’s AI safeguards. Former safety lead Jan Leike departed that month, followed by co-founder John Schulman, who joined rival startup Anthropic in August. Just last week, Sutskever announced the launch of his own AI venture, backed by $1 billion in investment.
Murati’s resignation continues this trend of high-level exits, raising concerns about the company’s direction and future as it seeks to secure significant funding amid these changes.
3. Internal Concerns and Future Prospects
Murati’s decision to step down comes at a critical juncture for OpenAI, which is currently pursuing a funding round that could value the company at over $150 billion, according to a report.
Major players like Microsoft, Nvidia, Apple, and Thrive Capital are reportedly in talks to invest. The round could reach as much as $6.5 billion, highlighting significant interest from prominent investors.
However, OpenAI is facing urgent financial pressures, having spent approximately $7 billion on model training and $1.5 billion on staffing, revealing high operational costs associated with its AI technologies.
At one point, operating ChatGPT alone cost around $700,000 a day, and training the company’s once-flagship GPT-4 model cost over $100 million. This financial strain underscores the urgency of securing new funding, as the company may struggle to continue its operations and achieve its goals without it.
That’s a Wrap!
Mira Murati joined OpenAI in 2018 and became a pivotal figure. As Chief Technology Officer, she played a key role in developing ChatGPT, an AI model that has revolutionized natural language processing, and DALL-E, which allows users to generate images from text prompts.
Murati’s leadership was instrumental during critical moments, including her brief tenure as interim CEO following the unexpected ousting of CEO Sam Altman in November 2023.
Throughout her six-and-a-half years at OpenAI, Murati has been known for her commitment to innovation and collaboration. She helped the company navigate significant challenges and achieve impressive milestones. Her departure marks the end of an era for OpenAI as it continues to evolve and adapt in a competitive landscape.
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