OpenAI's Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati Steps Down
OpenAI's Chief Technology Officer, Mira Murati, is the latest high-profile executive to leave the leading AI company. This announcement follows the departure of the company’s chief scientist, Ilya Sutskever, in May. In August, co-founder Greg Brockman announced he would take a leave of absence until the end of the year, and researcher John Schulman left for AI rival Anthropic. This leaves only two members of OpenAI’s original founding team at the company: Altman and Wojciech Zaremba.
Murati's Departure
After serving the company for six-and-a-half years, including a temporary stint as its CEO after co-founder Sam Altman was briefly ousted, Murati announced her decision to leave in a message to employees. In her memo, she expressed gratitude to many individuals and highlighted the company's achievements in AI innovation. She also mentioned her intention to create time and space for her own exploration.
Altman expressed his gratitude towards Murati in a message to the company, stating how much she has meant to OpenAI, their mission, and to them personally. He also expressed excitement for what she'll do next.
OpenAI's Shift to For-Profit
Shortly after Murati's resignation, reports emerged suggesting that OpenAI is considering becoming a for-profit company and offering Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman equity in the startup. The OpenAI non-profit will continue to exist and own a minority stake in the for-profit company, according to sources.
The details of the proposed corporate structure highlight significant governance changes happening at one of the most important AI companies. The plan is still being discussed with lawyers and shareholders, and the timeline for completing the restructuring remains uncertain.
OpenAI was initially founded in 2015 as a non-profit research organization with the goal of building artificial intelligence that would be safe and beneficial to humanity. In 2019, the company created a for-profit subsidiary to help fund the high costs of AI model development, attracting billions in outside investment from Microsoft Corp. and others.
The company’s unusual structure, which gives full control of the for-profit subsidiary to the OpenAI nonprofit, was originally set to ensure the mission of creating "safe AGI that is broadly beneficial," referring to artificial general intelligence that is at or exceeding human intelligence.
Elon Musk's Legal Battle Against OpenAI
The move to a for-profit entity comes just a few weeks after Elon Musk reignited a legal battle against OpenAI and its co-founders, Sam Altman and Greg Brockman. Musk accused the defendants of multiple counts, including fraud, breach of contract, and violations of federal civil racketeering laws.
Musk's lawsuit includes several allegations against OpenAI, Altman, and Brockman, with the central claim being that Altman and Brockman “intentionally courted and deceived” Musk into co-founding OpenAI under false pretenses. Musk asserts that he was misled into believing that OpenAI would be a nonprofit organization focused on developing AI technologies “for the benefit of humanity,” operating as a counterbalance to for-profit tech giants.
According to the lawsuit, OpenAI’s co-founders allegedly manipulated Musk by making repeated promises and assurances that the organization would remain open-source and not driven by profit. Musk claims that these representations were part of a scheme to attract significant funding and expertise, which he provided, including “tens of millions of dollars” and the recruitment of top AI scientists.
The complaint further accuses Altman and Brockman of engaging in “rampant self-dealing” and transforming OpenAI into a for-profit entity in partnership with Microsoft, thereby abandoning its original mission.
OpenAI's Future
The removal of non-profit control could make OpenAI operate more like a typical startup, a move generally welcomed by its investors who have poured billions into the company. However, it could also raise concerns from the AI safety community about whether the lab still has enough governance to hold itself accountable in its pursuit of AGI, as it has dissolved the superalignment team that focuses on the long-term risks of AI earlier this year.
Bottom Line
The recent changes at OpenAI, coupled with the ongoing legal battle with Elon Musk, highlight the complexities and challenges of balancing profit-driven business models with the ethical and safety considerations of AI development. What are your thoughts on these developments? Do you think the shift to a for-profit model will impact OpenAI's mission and operations? Share your thoughts and this article with your friends. Don't forget to sign up for the Daily Briefing, delivered every day at 6pm.
OpenAI's Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati Steps Down
OpenAI's Chief Technology Officer, Mira Murati, is the latest high-profile executive to leave the leading AI company. This announcement follows the departure of the company’s chief scientist, Ilya Sutskever, in May. In August, co-founder Greg Brockman announced he would take a leave of absence until the end of the year, and researcher John Schulman left for AI rival Anthropic. This leaves only two members of OpenAI’s original founding team at the company: Altman and Wojciech Zaremba.
Murati's Departure
After serving the company for six-and-a-half years, including a temporary stint as its CEO after co-founder Sam Altman was briefly ousted, Murati announced her decision to leave in a message to employees. In her memo, she expressed gratitude to many individuals and highlighted the company's achievements in AI innovation. She also mentioned her intention to create time and space for her own exploration.
Altman expressed his gratitude towards Murati in a message to the company, stating how much she has meant to OpenAI, their mission, and to them personally. He also expressed excitement for what she'll do next.
OpenAI's Shift to For-Profit
Shortly after Murati's resignation, reports emerged suggesting that OpenAI is considering becoming a for-profit company and offering Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman equity in the startup. The OpenAI non-profit will continue to exist and own a minority stake in the for-profit company, according to sources.
The details of the proposed corporate structure highlight significant governance changes happening at one of the most important AI companies. The plan is still being discussed with lawyers and shareholders, and the timeline for completing the restructuring remains uncertain.
OpenAI was initially founded in 2015 as a non-profit research organization with the goal of building artificial intelligence that would be safe and beneficial to humanity. In 2019, the company created a for-profit subsidiary to help fund the high costs of AI model development, attracting billions in outside investment from Microsoft Corp. and others.
The company’s unusual structure, which gives full control of the for-profit subsidiary to the OpenAI nonprofit, was originally set to ensure the mission of creating "safe AGI that is broadly beneficial," referring to artificial general intelligence that is at or exceeding human intelligence.
Elon Musk's Legal Battle Against OpenAI
The move to a for-profit entity comes just a few weeks after Elon Musk reignited a legal battle against OpenAI and its co-founders, Sam Altman and Greg Brockman. Musk accused the defendants of multiple counts, including fraud, breach of contract, and violations of federal civil racketeering laws.
Musk's lawsuit includes several allegations against OpenAI, Altman, and Brockman, with the central claim being that Altman and Brockman “intentionally courted and deceived” Musk into co-founding OpenAI under false pretenses. Musk asserts that he was misled into believing that OpenAI would be a nonprofit organization focused on developing AI technologies “for the benefit of humanity,” operating as a counterbalance to for-profit tech giants.
According to the lawsuit, OpenAI’s co-founders allegedly manipulated Musk by making repeated promises and assurances that the organization would remain open-source and not driven by profit. Musk claims that these representations were part of a scheme to attract significant funding and expertise, which he provided, including “tens of millions of dollars” and the recruitment of top AI scientists.
The complaint further accuses Altman and Brockman of engaging in “rampant self-dealing” and transforming OpenAI into a for-profit entity in partnership with Microsoft, thereby abandoning its original mission.
OpenAI's Future
The removal of non-profit control could make OpenAI operate more like a typical startup, a move generally welcomed by its investors who have poured billions into the company. However, it could also raise concerns from the AI safety community about whether the lab still has enough governance to hold itself accountable in its pursuit of AGI, as it has dissolved the superalignment team that focuses on the long-term risks of AI earlier this year.
Bottom Line
The recent changes at OpenAI, coupled with the ongoing legal battle with Elon Musk, highlight the complexities and challenges of balancing profit-driven business models with the ethical and safety considerations of AI development. What are your thoughts on these developments? Do you think the shift to a for-profit model will impact OpenAI's mission and operations? Share your thoughts and this article with your friends. Don't forget to sign up for the Daily Briefing, delivered every day at 6pm.
