Company logo courtesy of OpenAI; image generated by Adobe AI.
News comes as company’s CTO and other leaders announce departures.
SAN FRANCISCO — OpenAI’s board is considering restructuring the company to a for-profit model while maintaining a non-profit division, CNBC has reported, citing an anonymous source.
The move is suspected to be aimed at simplifying the structure for investors and offering liquidity opportunities for employees. It would potentially create the means for private companies such as retailers to ink partnerships with the company to directly deploy its proprietary technology.
This news follows the announcement of several high-level departures from the company. Mira Murati, OpenAI’s chief technology officer, revealed in an X post on Wednesday that she will be stepping down after six and a half years.
A memo to the company posted on the platform stated that she “will forever be grateful for the opportunity to build and work alongside this remarkable team. Together, we’ve pushed the boundaries of scientific understanding in our quest to improve human well-being.”
Company CEO Sam Altman has also confirmed via X that Research Chief Bob McGrew and Vice President Barret Zoph also are leaving. Altman noted that their departures were not connected but were timed to coincide with Murati’s exit for a smoother leadership transition.
These exits continue a trend of leadership changes at OpenAI. In recent months, co-founder Ilya Sutskever, safety leader Jan Leike and co-founder John Schulman have all left the company, with Schulman joining rival AI startup Anthropic.
The departures come as OpenAI’s value and influence grow rapidly, largely driven by the success of its ChatGPT product, released in late 2022.
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