Who Is Mira Murati, the New Interim CEO of OpenAI After Sam Altman's Ouster?

Mira Murati joined OpenAI in 2018 after stints at Tesla, Leap Motion, and Goldman Sachs.

(Photo: Vibhushita Singh/The Quint)

OpenAI CEO and co-founder Sam Altman was ousted from the tech company on Friday, 17 November, after its board of directors said that it "no longer has confidence in his (Altman's) ability to continue leading OpenAI."

Now, thirty four-year-old Mira Murati will be stepping into Altman's shoes but only temporarily. Murati has been working for the AI company as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

Reacting to his dismissal, Altman said, "Today was a weird experience in many ways. but one unexpected one is that it has been sorta like reading your own eulogy while you’re still alive. the outpouring of love is awesome (sic)."

Who Is Mira Murati?

Born to Albanian parents and educated in Canada, Murati is a mechanical engineer by training. She had built a hybrid race car as her senior project at Dartmouth College, according to the New York Times.

In her early days, she interned at Goldman Sachs and then switched to Zodiac Aerospace. Following her stint at Zodiac Aerospace, Murati spent three years at Tesla as a senior product manager.

Murati was also reportedly associated with a VR company called Leap Motion, where she focused on implementing applications of artificial intelligence in practical, real-world scenarios. 

After joining OpenAI in 2018 as the vice president of AI and partnerships, Murati was promoted to the post of senior vice president of research, product and partnerships in 2020.

She then took over as OpenAI's CTO in 2022.

According to a memo she sent to staff that was reviewed by Bloomberg, Murati said she was “honoured and humbled” to step into the leadership role at the company following Sam Altman's departure from the firm.

“We are now at a crucial juncture where our tools are being widely adopted, developers are actively building on our platforms, and policymakers are deliberating on the best ways to regulate these systems,” Murati reportedly wrote in the memo.

“This is welcome progress and an opportunity to participate in a future where AI is built and used for good," she was quoted as saying.

Murati will reportedly serve as interim CEO until OpenAI's board of directors "conducts a formal search for a permanent CEO."

"She [Murati] brings a unique skill set, understanding of the company’s values, operations, and business, and already leads the company’s research, product, and safety functions," the company said in a blog post published on Friday.