- Former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati is raising over $100 million for a new AI startup focused on proprietary models.
- Murati’s departure follows other executive exits at OpenAI, including the chief research officer and research VP.
Mira Murati, the former CTO of OpenAI who stepped down last month, is now in the process of raising venture capital for a new AI startup, as reported by Reuters. This new venture is said to focus on developing AI products utilizing proprietary models, with Murati targeting over $100 million in funding during this round.
In her departure announcement on X, Murati highlighted OpenAI's transformative impact on the field, stating that the company had "fundamentally changed how AI systems learn and reason through complex problems" through its recent innovations. She added, “I’m stepping away because I want to create the time and space to do my own exploration,” but did not elaborate on her future plans.
Murati’s tenure at OpenAI began in 2018, when she joined as VP of applied AI and partnerships. She quickly climbed the ranks and was promoted to CTO in 2022. Notably, she even served as interim CEO during a brief period when co-founder and CEO Sam Altman was temporarily ousted. Before her time at OpenAI, Murati worked with leading tech firms such as Tesla and Leap Motion.
Her exit is part of a recent trend among OpenAI executives, with the company’s chief research officer and VP of research also announcing their departures just hours after Murati's. This wave of high-profile exits comes on the heels of OpenAI raising a record-breaking $6.6 billion in venture capital, the largest round of its kind.
Murati’s next steps remain to be seen, but her departure and swift move to start a new venture suggest her influence and ambitions in the AI space are far from over.
Edited by Harshajit Sarmah
