In a significant shift for OpenAI, the AI powerhouse backed by Microsoft, three senior leaders have announced their resignations. This latest development adds to a series of executive exits this year, reflecting ongoing changes within the organization responsible for ChatGPT.
Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Mira Murati, Vice President (VP) of Research Barret Zoph, and Chief Research Officer (CRO) Bob McGrew announced their departures through social media portal X (previously Twitter) on Wednesday afternoon.
"I'm stepping away because I want to create the time and space to do my own exploration," Murati announced her exit via a post on X.
The AI startup is in negotiations for a new funding round valued at $6.5 billion, which could elevate the company's worth to $150 billion, contingent upon changes to its corporate structure, according to a Reuters report. The funding round is still in progress as the firm finalizes the details. Additionally, the company plans to restructure as a for-profit benefit corporation, with proposals to grant CEO Sam Altman an equity stake.
Mira Murati is currently negotiating with OpenAI, as reported. She has been with the company for six and a half years, briefly stepping in as CEO during Sam Altman's temporary absence in November. Murati joined OpenAI in December 2020 as the VP of Applied AI and Partnerships and ascended to the role of CTO in May 2022. Her previous experience includes positions at Leap Motion, an augmented reality and virtual reality startup, and Tesla.
Amid the announcements of key departures, Sam Altman also shared a post on X (formerly Twitter) indicating that significant announcements are forthcoming.
In the post, Altman said that “Mira, Bob, and Barret made these decisions independently of each other and amicably, but the timing of Mira’s decision was such that it made sense to now do this all at once, so that we can work together for a smooth handover to the next generation of leadership.”
Mark Chen is promoted to be the new SVP of Research who will lead the “research org in partnership with Jakub as Chief Scientist,” wrote Sam Altman.
The newly announced SVP of Research, Mark announced his excitement of being roped into the new role via X.
“While today’s departures are tough, I’m incredibly excited and honored to lead research at OpenAI alongside @merettm. I truly believe that OpenAI is the best place to work on AI, and I've been through enough ups and downs to know it's never wise to bet against us.”
“Josh Achiam is going to take on a new role as Head of Mission Alignment, working across the company to ensure that we get all pieces (and culture) right to be in a place to succeed at the mission,” said Altman.
Matt Knight will step into the role of Chief Information Security Officer, a position he has held previously for an extended period. This transition has been part of the company’s long-term strategy.
“Mark, Jakub, Kevin, Srinivas, Matt, and Josh will report to me. I have over the past year or so spent most of my time on the non-technical parts of our organization; I am now looking forward to spending most of my time on the technical and product parts of the company,” added Altman.
In his long X post, Altman endeavoured to assure the staff and world that leadership change is just a regular part of a business.
“Leadership changes are a natural part of companies, especially companies that grow so quickly and are so demanding. I obviously won’t pretend it’s natural for this one to be so abrupt, but we are not a normal company, and I think the reasons Mira explained to me (there is never a good time, anything not abrupt would have leaked, and she wanted to do this while OpenAI was in an upswing) make sense. We can both talk about this more tomorrow during all-hands.”
Chief Research Officer (CRO) Bob McGrew announced his separation from the company via X simply saying “it is time for me to take a break.”
“The last eight years of OpenAI has been a humbling and awe-inspiring journey,” said Bob in his post on X. “The small nonprofit I joined in January 2017 has become the most important research and deployment company in the world.”
Bob joined OpenAI in 2017 as a Technical Staff and was promoted to VP of Research in 2018. In August 2024, he embarked on a successful journey as the Chief Research Officer of OpenAI.
Barret Zoph announced his resignation via his post on X saying “Right now feels like a natural point for me to explore new opportunities outside of OpenAI. This is a personal decision based on how I want to evolve the next phase of my career.”
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