OpenAI’s Newest Possible Threat: Ex-CTO Murati; Google’s Mini-ChatGPT Moment
When it comes to recruiting and retaining artificial intelligence researchers, OpenAI has faced tougher competition this year from old and new rivals. Now it’s facing pressure from a very recent former employee: ex-chief technology officer Mira Murati.
Murati, whose last day was Friday, October 4 and now is as an advisor to the company, has been speaking with OpenAI employees about potentially joining her next venture, though she hasn’t disclosed exactly what that venture would be, according to two people familiar with these conversations. Spokespeople from OpenAI and representing Murati declined to comment.
Whether Murati will join former OpenAI vice president Barret Zoph at his likely new startup, found one of her own or join an existing AI developer is anyone’s guess.
But researchers may be susceptible to her pitch. OpenAI’s research organization is in upheaval after the promotion of Liam Fedus to lead post-training, according to three people with knowledge of the situation. Several researchers have asked to switch teams, as sometimes can happen in these situations, two of these people said.
Fedus is effectively taking a position previously held by Zoph, who abruptly announced his departure on Sept. 25 at the same time as Murati and research chief Bob McGrew.
In a sign of the continued fallout, Luke Metz, who worked with Fedus and Zoph at Google's AI team and moved with them to OpenAI in 2022 to develop ChatGPT, announced his departure last week as well. Like the other departures, Metz left ahead of an upcoming share buyback in which OpenAI plans to buy shares from employees.
As we reported in the aftermath of Murati’s departure, OpenAI’s finance team has been working hard to counter offers from rivals including a new startup from Ilya Sutskever, an OpenAI co-founder and former chief scientist. Given the solidarity that researchers like Zoph and McGrew appeared to show after Murati’s resignation, her recruiting efforts could further test CEO Sam Altman’s talent management skills.