OpenAI is currently in the midst of a funding round, seeking to raise $6.5 billion at a $150 billion valuation, Bloomberg reported this month, citing anonymous sources.
As CTO, Murati was instrumental in guiding product launches, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot.
Murati said in a message shared with OpenAI employees Wednesday and also posted on X that “after much reflection,” she had decided to leave the company after 6½ years. “I’m stepping away because I want to create the time and space to do my own exploration,” Murati said.
Mira Murati, who has been with OpenAI for more than six years and is as well-known as the company’s CEO Sam Altman, said the following about her surprising decision to leave:
“I’m stepping away because I want to create the time and space to do my own exploration. For now, my primary focus is doing everything in my power to ensure a smooth transition, maintaining the momentum we’ve built.” (X)
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Mira Murati posted on X…
“I shared the following note with the OpenAI team today.“
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said on X that he was grateful for Murati’s service to the company. “It’s hard to overstate how much Mira has meant to OpenAI, our mission, and to us all personally,” Altman said.
According to the news that CNBC includes; OpenAI, the Microsoft-backed company behind ChatGPT and SearchGPT, is currently pursuing a funding round that would value the company at more than $150 billion, according to sources familiar with the situation who asked to not be named because details of the round have not been made public. Thrive Capital is leading the round and plans to invest $1 billion, and Tiger Global is planning to join as well. Microsoft, Nvidia and Apple are reportedly also in talks to invest.
Murati is the latest high-level executive to depart the startup.
This leadership shake-up is likely to have a ripple effect across the AI industry, as Murati’s expertise and vision were central to OpenAI’s growth and influence in the AI space.
