Significant changes in the leadership of OpenAI occurred on Wednesday when Chief Research Officer Bob McGrew and Research VP Barret Zoph announced their resignations. This was only a few hours after Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati also announced her departure. In a post on X, CEO Sam Altman announced the exits and made it clear that while the decisions were made independently and amicably, the timing was planned to enable a seamless leadership change.
The public and employees were reassured by Altman, who underlined that although the changes may appear sudden, they are a normal part of any rapidly expanding business. He clarified that Murati’s choice made it possible to announce every leave at once, which guaranteed a smoother transition of power to OpenAI’s upcoming leadership class.
Altman announced a number of significant promotions to cover the leadership vacancy. Former Vice President of Research Mark Chen has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Research, where he will share leadership of the research division with Chief Scientist Jakub Pachocki. Other leadership positions were filled as well. Kevin Weil and Srinivas Narayanan will continue to manage OpenAI’s applied technology team, and Matt Knight will take on the job of Chief Information Security Officer. In the meantime, Josh Achiam will be moving into a new position as Head of Mission Alignment, where he will be responsible for making sure the company’s objectives and culture stay in line with its main aim.
In his own X post, McGrew, who joined OpenAI in 2017, announced that he was taking a break from the company after eight years of service. Zoph, who began working for the company in 2022, also thanked OpenAI for his experience there and said it seemed like a good moment for him to look into other employment options.
The news that OpenAI is shifting from its nonprofit to a for-profit business model and may be valued at $150 billion coincides with these departures. There have been rumours of internal conflicts regarding the company’s direction since this change and Altman’s purported 7% ownership interest.