Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati named interim CEO to lead OpenAI; Sam Altman is leaving the company.
The process of searching for a permanent successor is underway.
The Board of Directors of OpenAI, Inc., the 501(c)(3) that acts as the overall governing body for all OpenAI activities, announced today that Sam Altman will step down as CEO and leave the board of directors. Mira Murati, the company's chief technology officer, will serve as interim CEO, effective immediately.
A member of OpenAI's leadership team for five years, Mira has played a key role in OpenAI's evolution into a global AI leader. She brings a unique skill set, an understanding of the company's values, operations and business, and already leads the company's research, product and security functions. Given her long tenure and close collaboration with all aspects of the company, including her experience in AI governance and policy, the board believes she is uniquely qualified for the role and anticipates a seamless transition as it conducts a formal search for a permanent CEO.
Mr. Altman's departure follows a deliberate review process by the board, which concluded that he had not been consistently candid in his communications with the board, impeding his ability to carry out his responsibilities. The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.
In a statement, the board of directors said: “OpenAI is purposefully structured to advance our mission: to ensure that general artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. The Board remains fully committed to serving this mission. We are grateful for Sam's many contributions to the founding and growth of OpenAI. At the same time, we believe new leadership is needed as we move forward. As the company's head of research, product and security, Mira is uniquely qualified to take on the role of interim CEO. We have the utmost confidence in her ability to lead OpenAI during this transition period.”
OpenAI's Board of Directors consists of OpenAI Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever, independent directors, Quora CEO Adam D'Angelo, tech entrepreneur Tasha McCauley, and Helen Toner of the Georgetown Center for Security and Emerging Technologies.
As part of this transition, Greg Brockman will step down as chairman of the board and will remain in his role with the company, reporting to the CEO.
OpenAI was founded as a non-profit organization in 2015 with the core mission of ensuring that general artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. In 2019, OpenAI restructured to ensure the company could raise capital in pursuit of this mission, while preserving its nonprofit mission, governance, and oversight. The majority of the board is independent, and the independent directors have no stake in OpenAI. While the company has experienced dramatic growth, management's core responsibility remains to advance OpenAI's mission and uphold the principles of its Charter.