Three high-profile executives at OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, announced their departures on Wednesday. These include Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati, VP of Research Barret Zoph, and Chief Research Officer Bob McGrew.
The resignations mark the latest in a series of executive exits from the Microsoft-backed AI firm this year.
The San Francisco-based company, currently in the process of securing $6.5 billion in financing, is also undergoing a significant corporate restructuring. OpenAI plans to transition into a for-profit benefit corporation, a move that will grant CEO Sam Altman an equity stake. This change comes after a turbulent period in November 2023 when Altman was temporarily ousted due to a breakdown in trust with the board. He was reinstated after five days.
Mira Murati, who has been with OpenAI for six-and-a-half years, is negotiating her exit while still in her role. Her decision follows a brief stint as CEO in November 2023. Murati has been instrumental in OpenAI’s public image, frequently representing the company alongside Altman. She led the launch of OpenAI’s GPT-4o model in May 2024.
This wave of departures comes as OpenAI finalizes its financing round, though it remains unclear how these exits may affect investor confidence. CEO Sam Altman acknowledged Murati’s decision, noting that she chose to leave when the company was on an upswing. He also announced a series of promotions to fill the leadership void, including Matt Knight as Chief Information Security Officer and Mark Chen as Senior VP of Research.
The departure of these executives is part of a broader trend at OpenAI. Co-founders John Schulman and Greg Brockman announced their exits earlier this year, while Ilya Sutskever, another co-founder, left in May 2024.
