Two More Executives Depart OpenAI

OpenAI's attempts to stabilize its leadership took another blow late Wednesday as two additional key figures have decided to step down, just hours after Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati announced her own departure. Chief Research Officer Bob McGrew and Head of Post-Training Barret Zoph are also leaving the AI powerhouse, CEO Sam Altman confirmed in a late-night post on X.

So why does this matter? Well, the exits of Murati, McGrew, and Zoph follow a series of high-profile departures over the past nine months, including three co-founders and leaders in safety and product development. Andrej Karpathy left in February, Ilya Sutskever left in May, and, John Schulman left in August. Oh, and Greg Brockman is taking an extended leave through the end of the year

Leadership turnover at this level, especially in quick succession, is unusual for a company experiencing OpenAI's level of success and market position. The company is reportedly raising billions in funding at a potential $150 billion valuation, and has just released its o1 family of reasoning models.

While we will avoid making unfounded assumptions, these exits should raise questions. And, regardless of the reasons, the loss of key figures who have been instrumental in OpenAI's success so far will pose challenges. It will affect ongoing projects, institutional knowledge, team morale, culture, etc.

And keep in mind, these departures also occur against the backdrop of reports of OpenAI's new restructuring to a for-profit benefit corporation—which adds another layer of complexity to leadership decisions and company direction.

Irrespective of the advantage OpenAI may have today, their ability to retain and attract top talent will be key indicators of their resilience and long-term prospects in the very competitive AI model developer space.

Altman addressed the situation in a company-wide message, emphasizing that the decisions were made independently and amicably. "Being a leader at OpenAI is all-consuming," Altman wrote, acknowledging the relentless nature of steering a rapidly growing AI company.

To fill the leadership void, Mark Chen, previously head of frontiers research, will step into the role of SVP of Research, partnering with Chief Scientist Jakub Pachocki to lead the research organization. Joshua Achiam has been named Head of Mission Alignment, tasked with ensuring the company's culture and operations align with its ambitious goals.

Altman also revealed a shift in his own focus, saying he will now spend more time on the technical and product aspects of OpenAI after dedicating recent months to non-technical areas.