Mira Murati, the former Chief Technology Officer of OpenAI, is stepping into the entrepreneurial arena. After announcing her departure last month, she is now on the hunt for venture capital funding for a brand-new AI startup, as reported by Reuters. This venture aims to develop innovative AI products built on proprietary models, with plans to raise over $100 million in its initial funding round.
Murati’s decision to leave OpenAI was marked by a thoughtful reflection on her time there. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), she mentioned how OpenAI has “fundamentally changed how AI systems learn and reason through complex problems.” She expressed her desire to create “time and space to do my own exploration,” hinting at exciting new possibilities on the horizon, although she kept specifics about her plans under wraps.
Before her tenure at OpenAI, Murati held significant roles at Tesla and Leap Motion. She joined OpenAI in 2018 as Vice President of Applied AI and Partnerships, quickly rising to the position of CTO in 2022. Notably, she even served as interim CEO during a brief period when co-founder Sam Altman was ousted.
Murati’s departure is part of a larger trend at OpenAI, with several high-profile executives, including the chief research officer and research VP, also announcing their exits shortly after her. This wave of departures comes just a week after OpenAI secured an impressive $6.6 billion in what is now the largest venture capital round in history.
As Murati embarks on this new venture, the AI community will undoubtedly be watching closely. Her experience and vision could lead to groundbreaking developments in the AI landscape. With the fundraising efforts underway, there’s a lot of anticipation about what her startup will bring to the table.
