ChatGPT maker OpenAI's CTO Mira Murati resigns, CEO Altman reacts...

Mira Murati, the Chief Technology Officer of ChatGPT maker OpenAI, is leaving the AI giant, marking the latest in a series of executive departures this year.

Murati announced her decision in a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating her desire to "create the time and space to do [her] own exploration."

"I want to start by thanking Sam and Greg for their trust in me to lead the technical organization and for their support throughout the years," Murati wrote in a note.

"For now, my primary focus is doing everything in my power to ensure a smooth transition, maintaining the momentum we've built," she added. "I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to build and work alongside this remarkable team."

Mira shares a note on X

I shared the following note with the OpenAI team today. pic.twitter.com/nsZ4khI06P

— Mira Murati (@miramurati) September 25, 2024

Hi all,

I have something to share with you. After much reflection, I have made the difficult decision to leave OpenAI.

My six-and-a-half years with the OpenAI team have been an extraordinary privilege. While I’ll express my gratitude to many individuals in the coming days, I want to start by thanking Sam and Greg for their trust in me to lead the technical organization and for their support throughout the years.

There’s never an ideal time to step away from a place one cherishes, yet this moment feels right. Our recent releases of speech-to-speech and OpenAI 01 mark the beginning of a new era in interaction and intelligence – achievements made possible by your ingenuity and craftsmanship. We didn’t merely build smarter models, we fundamentally changed how AI systems learn and reason through complex problems. We brought safety research from the theoretical realm into practical applications, creating models that are more robust, aligned, and steerable than ever before. Our work has made cutting-edge AI research intuitive and accessible, developing technology that adapts and evolves based on everyone’s input. This success is a testament to our outstanding teamwork, and it is because of your brilliance, your dedication, and your commitment that OpenAI stands at the pinnacle of AI innovation.

I’m stepping away because I want to create the time and space to do my own exploration. 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. 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. Mira

Altman's reaction on Murati's resignation

"Mira has been instrumental to OpenAI’s progress and growth the last 6.5 years; she has been a hugely significant factor in our development from an unknown research lab to an important company," Altman wrote in a note.

"When Mira informed me this morning that she was leaving, I was saddened but of course support her decision. For the past year, she has been building out a strong bench of leaders that will continue our progress," he said.

Two more resignations

Just hours after Murati’s announcement, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed that two additional senior technical leaders—Barret Zoph, VP of Research, and Bob McGrew, Chief Research Officer—had also resigned.

"I am extremely grateful to all of them for their contributions," Altman added.

Leadership changes

Mark Chen has been promoted as the new VP of research and he will lead the research department along with Chief Scientist Jakub Pachocki. Matt Knight will assume the role of Chief Information Security Officer.

"This has been our long-term succession plan for Bob someday; although it’s happening sooner than we thought, I couldn’t be more excited that Mark is stepping into the role. Mark obviously has deep technical expertise, but he has also learned how to be a leader and manager in a very impressive way over the past few years," Altman wrote.

Josh Achiam will to take on a new role as Head of Mission Alignment. Additionally, Kevin and Srinivas will continue to lead the Applied team.

"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," Altman added.