OpenAI CTO Resigns Amid Company Shakeup

Technology/OpenAI CTO News:

Mira Murati, the (former) CTO of OpenAI, has just announced her decision to leave the company after six and a half years, amid rumors that the company will relinquish control of the nonprofit and transfer her stake to CEO Sam Altman.

Key Details:

Mira Murati appears to be leaving the company to create time and space for personal exploration while focusing on ensuring a smooth transition.

The transition is in line with recent reports that OpenAI will restructure its core business into a nonprofit corporation, with Sam Altman and the company’s nonprofit arm acquiring a minority stake.

OpenAI CTO Resigns Amid Company Shakeup

Mira Murati expressed deep gratitude for her time at OpenAI and highlighted recent successes such as the speech synthesis technology and OpenAI o1.

CEO Sam Altman responded by acknowledging Murati’s contributions and saying he would announce transition plans “soon.” Why it matters: This is another big change for OpenAI, following the departures of Andre Carpathy in February, Ilya Sutskever in May, and Greg Brockman (who is on leave) in August. Brockman is taking a sabbatical until the end of the year.

With key leaders departing, OpenAI faces a leadership crisis. The move to a for-profit structure is controversial, with both pros and cons. The future of OpenAI remains uncertain.