OpenAI’s board of directors is reportedly exploring a major overhaul, considering a shift from its current structure to a for-profit model. This potential transformation is still under discussion, according to an anonymous source close to the matter.
The proposed restructuring would maintain OpenAI’s non-profit segment as a separate entity. This change aims to streamline the company’s structure, making it more attractive to investors and providing OpenAI employees with clearer opportunities for financial gain.
Mira Murati, OpenAI’s Chief Technology Officer, announced her departure on Wednesday, marking the end of her six-and-a-half-year tenure. This development was swiftly followed by further high-profile exits.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed that Research Chief Bob McGrew, and Research Vice President Barret Zoph would also be leaving the company. These latest departures underscore the ongoing brain drain at OpenAI, a startup valued highly for its artificial intelligence innovations.
“Stepping away because I want to create the time and space to do my own exploration.” She said her focus will be on ensuring a “smooth transition.” wrote Murati in a memo to the company.
Mira Murati announced her departure in a heartfelt memo, revealing that she had made a difficult decision following deep contemplation. “After much reflection, I have made the difficult decision to leave OpenAI,” she stated. Murati further expressed that while it’s never easy to leave a beloved organization, she felt her departure was timely, adding, “There’s never an ideal time to step away from a place one cherishes, yet this moment feels right.” The memo was simultaneously shared on social media platform X.
Sam Altman took to social media platform X in a late afternoon post to announce the departures of Bob McGrew and Barret Zoph. Altman clarified that their decisions to leave the company were made independently of each other, emphasizing the separate nature of their departures.
Altman wrote, “The timing of Mira’s decision was such that it made sense to now do this all at once, so that we can work together for a smooth handover to the next generation of leadership.”
Commenting on the resignation of Murati, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman took on to X (formerly Twitter) and shared a long post in which he also talked about the restructuring of OpenAI.
“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.” said Altman
“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.” Altman added
“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 concluded the post
OpenAI has witnessed a string of high-profile departures, with Bob McGrew and Barret Zoph being the latest executives to leave. This exodus follows the company’s monumental growth and surge in value since the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022. Earlier this year, co-founder Ilya Sutskever and former safety leader Jan Leike announced their exits in May, while fellow co-founder John Schulman departed last month to join rival AI firm Anthropic.
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