OpenAI experienced significant leadership changes this week as Chief Research Officer Bob McGrew and Research VP Barret Zoph announced their departures just hours after CTO Mira Murati revealed her own exit. CEO Sam Altman shared the news of these resignations in a post on X on Wednesday evening, alongside plans for leadership transitions.
“Mira, Bob, and Barret made their choices independently and amicably,” Altman stated. “The timing of Mira’s announcement prompted us to coordinate these transitions, allowing for a smooth handover to the next generation of leadership.”
Mark Chen, previously VP of research, has been elevated to Senior Vice President of Research, where he will collaborate with Jakub Pachocki, now designated as Chief Scientist. Chen expressed his enthusiasm for leading research at OpenAI in a post on September 26, stating, "Today’s changes are challenging, but I’m excited and honored to lead research alongside Jakub. OpenAI remains the premier place for AI innovation, and I know that despite the ups and downs, it’s unwise to bet against us.”
In this restructuring, Matt Knight, formerly the head of security, will assume the role of Chief Information Security Officer, while Chief Product Officer Kevin Weil and VP of Engineering Srinivas Narayanan will continue to oversee OpenAI’s applied team, responsible for delivering technology to enterprise and consumer markets. Additionally, research scientist Josh Achiam will take on the newly created position of head of mission alignment, working across the company to ensure success in achieving OpenAI’s mission.
“Mark, Jakub, Kevin, Srinivas, Matt, and Josh will report directly to me,” Altman noted. “Over the past year, I’ve focused primarily on the non-technical aspects of our organization, and I’m eager to shift my focus toward the technical and product functions of the company.”
In his communication, Altman reassured staff and stakeholders that these leadership changes are a standard part of business evolution. “Leadership changes are natural, especially for rapidly growing companies,” he remarked. “While this transition is certainly abrupt, we are not a typical organization. Mira’s reasoning—emphasizing the lack of a perfect time for such changes and her desire to act while we are experiencing growth—makes complete sense.”
McGrew characterized his departure simply, stating, “It was time for me to take a break.” He reflected positively on his time at OpenAI, noting, “The past eight years have been a humbling journey as we transformed from a small nonprofit into a leading research and deployment company in the world. I have no doubt about OpenAI’s leadership.”
Having joined OpenAI in 2017 as a technical staff member, McGrew was promoted to VP of research in 2018 before stepping into the Chief Research Officer role. Zoph, who joined in 2022, indicated that now seems like an opportune moment for him to explore new avenues beyond OpenAI. He previously led the post-training team, which refined OpenAI’s models for products like ChatGPT and OpenAI’s API.
Zoph stated, “This personal decision reflects my desire to shape the next chapter of my career.”
While the departing executives publicly describe their exits as amicable, these shifts occur amid speculation of OpenAI's transformation from a nonprofit to a for-profit organization, with Altman potentially receiving a 7% equity stake. Amid reports of new funding valuing OpenAI at $150 billion, internal disagreements regarding the company’s future may have contributed to these leadership changes.
An all-hands meeting is scheduled for Thursday, promising to provide further clarity regarding these developments.
The departures of McGrew, Zoph, and Murati follow a string of high-profile exits at OpenAI, including prominent research scientist Andrej Karpathy in February, co-founder and former Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever, and ex-safety leader Jan Leike. Co-founder John Schulman also announced his intention to depart in August, and the company’s president, Greg Brockman, is currently on sabbatical. Out of the original 13 founders of OpenAI, only three remain.
“Leading at OpenAI is an all-consuming challenge,” Altman acknowledged in his post. “While it’s a privilege to drive the fastest-growing company into the hands of millions, it’s equally intense to navigate this journey—with our team continuously rising to the occasion.”
OpenAI's press office has yet to respond to inquiries regarding these latest departures.
Ranking
