OpenAI Leadership Turmoil: Role of Mira Murati in Sam Altman's Exit

Sam Altman's sudden ouster from OpenAI made many headlines over three months ago. OpenAI's CEO was suddenly fired, and no one seemed to know why. OpenAI had stated Altman's ouster, saying they no longer had faith in his ability to lead the company. Altman was reinstated as CEO five days after the incident. Many things happened during this time, including company employees threatening to quit and join Microsoft if Altman did not return. After returning as CEO, Altman fired all previous board members to form a new board.

However, doubts persisted about his departure. A report from The New York Times now claims that an upcoming report from an outside law firm could reveal more details about the decision and the chaotic five days before Altman's return. And ahead of the law firm's report, a new detail about the entire scenario has emerged. According to The New York Times, OpenAI CTO Mira Murati played a key role in Altman's ouster. To recall, when Altman was ousted from the company, Murati also took over as interim CEO.

The New York Times report claims Murati wrote a private memo to Altman questioning his management and shared concerns with the board. This contributed to the decision to remove Altman, according to inside sources.

Around the same time, Ilya Sutskever, co-founder and chief scientist of OpenAI, expressed similar concerns, citing what he characterized as Altman's history of manipulative behaviour. Both executives described a turbulent relationship with Altman. While it remains uncertain whether they provided concrete examples, they conveyed that Altman occasionally fostered a toxic work environment by excluding executives who did not align with his decisions.

Ms. Murati's conversations with the board give us insight into OpenAI's senior management challenges, even though both leaders publicly supported Mr. Altman's return to the company. The WilmerHale law firm, which is conducting the investigation, is expected to conclude its investigations soon, and a new board of directors for the company may be announced simultaneously. After Altman returned to the company in November, several directors left the board.

Hannah Wong, a spokesperson for OpenAI, said the company's senior leadership team, led by Murati during his tenure as interim CEO, had requested Altman's return. This sentiment was echoed in an open letter signed by 95 per cent of OpenAI employees. As per the New York Times, Wong said, "The strong support from his team underscores that he is an effective CEO who is open to different points of view, willing to solve complex challenges, and who demonstrates care for his team. We look forward to findings from the independent review versus unsubstantiated claims."

Altman declined to comment, and Sutskever's lawyer refuted claims that he approached the board. Murati did not respond to requests for comment but later shared in a message to OpenAI employees that she and Altman have a strong partnership and that she has never stopped providing feedback directly to him.

OpenAI employees, particularly those who threatened to resign during Altman's firing, are eager for WilmerHale's investigation to shed light on the facts. Whether the full report or a summary will be made public is still being determined.