Mira Murati, OpenAI’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), has announced her departure from the company in a post on the social media platform “X.”
According to her, “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”…“There’s never an ideal time to step away from a place one cherishes, yet this moment feels right.”
Mira Murati came to the limelight when she was named the interim CEO upon the sudden shakeup that ousted Sam Altman in 2023.
Mira is the latest prominent employee to depart the company, following the exits of co-founder Ilya Sutskever and former safety leader Jan Leike, who both announced their departures in May 2024.
Mira says she is stepping away because she wants to create the time and space to do her own exploration. “For now, my primary focus is doing everything in my power to ensure a smooth transition, maintaining the momentum we’ve built.”
OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, responded to the announcement by thanking her
“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 gratitude towards her for the support and love during all the hard times. I am excited for what she’ll do next. We’ll say more about the transition plans soon, but for now, I want to take a moment to just feel thanks,” he added.
