OpenAI, the fast-growing artificial intelligence company, is once again in the spotlight with significant leadership changes. Mira Murati, the company’s Chief Technology Officer, along with two senior leaders, Bob and Barret, have announced their departure. Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, expressed his gratitude for the departing leaders and assured the team that this change is part of the natural evolution of the company.
Why Mira Murati is leaving OpenAI
Mira Murati has been with OpenAI for six and a half years. Shge played an important role in the company’s rise from a little-known research lab to a global AI company. In her resignation letter, Murati reflected on her time at the company, stating, “My six-and-a-half years with the OpenAI team have been an extraordinary privilege. We didn’t merely build smarter models, we fundamentally changed how AI systems learn and reason through complex problems.”
Murati's departure marks a significant moment for OpenAI, as she was instrumental in leading several of the company’s most important projects. Recently, she was at the forefront of advancements like speech-to-speech technology and the release of the OpenAI platform, which she described as heralding “the beginning of a new era in interaction and intelligence.” Her leadership helped guide OpenAI’s AI models toward becoming more robust, aligned, and accessible to a wider audience.
While Murati acknowledged the difficulty of leaving a company she has helped shape, she also shared her motivation for stepping away, explaining, “I’m stepping away because I want to create the time and space to do my own exploration.” Despite her exit, she expressed her gratitude for the strong team she leaves behind, noting that her main priority now is ensuring a smooth transition.
Sam Altman’s Response
In a note to the OpenAI team, Sam Altman expressed both sadness and gratitude for Murati’s departure. "It’s hard to overstate how much Mira has meant to OpenAI, our mission, and to us all personally," he wrote. “I feel tremendous gratitude towards her for what she has helped us build and accomplish, but most of all for her support and love during all the hard times.”
Altman also addressed the simultaneous exits of Bob and Barret. He highlighted that all three leaders made independent decisions. “Mira, Bob, and Barret made these decisions independently of each other and amicably,” Altman clarified. He noted that while the departures were abrupt, it made sense to coordinate them to ensure a smooth leadership transition.
Altman took the opportunity to outline the company’s future leadership structure. Mark will step into the role of Senior Vice President of Research, partnering with Jakub, the company’s Chief Scientist. “Mark has deep technical expertise,” Altman said, adding, “but he has also learned how to be a leader and manager in a very impressive way over the past few years.”
Altman also introduced other key leadership roles, including Josh Achiam as the new Head of Mission Alignment and Matt Knight as the Chief Information Security Officer. He noted that while the changes are happening earlier than expected, OpenAI is prepared for this transition. “Leadership changes are a natural part of companies, especially companies that grow so quickly and are so demanding,” Altman explained. He assured the team that the company would remain on solid ground and well-positioned for continued success.
Altman acknowledged the challenges that come with such significant leadership changes but emphasised that OpenAI is equipped to handle the transition. “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,” Altman explained in his note.
As Altman shifts his focus back to the technical and product aspects of the company, he is optimistic about OpenAI’s future. He expressed confidence in the new leadership team and their ability to continue pushing the company’s mission forward. “I am extremely grateful to all of them for their contributions,” Altman said, speaking of Murati, Bob, and Barret. "Being a leader at OpenAI is all-consuming. On one hand, it’s a privilege to build AGIâ€æ On the other hand, it’s relentless."
Murati echoed a similar sentiment in her farewell, talking about the difficulty of leaving such a dynamic and innovative environment. “There’s never an ideal time to step away from a place one cherishes,” she admitted, “yet this moment feels right.” She also emphasized the collaborative spirit of OpenAI, crediting the team’s efforts for the company’s major achievements in artificial intelligence.
