Last month, Mira Murati, who served as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at OpenAI, announced her resignation after six years at the company. Now, she is reportedly taking steps to start her own AI venture. Murati is reportedly raising funds from venture capitalists for her new startup, which aims to develop AI products based on proprietary models.
Though the fundraising talks are still in the early stages, the startup could secure more than $100 million, given Murati’s established reputation in the AI field, reports Reuters. However, the final figures are yet to be confirmed, and it remains unclear if Murati will assume the CEO position at her new venture.
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Barret Zoph, another notable AI researcher who left OpenAI on the same day as Murati in late September, is also rumoured to be considering joining the new project. Previously, reports indicated that Zoph was planning his own startup, and Murati has been actively recruiting employees from OpenAI for her new company.
During her time at OpenAI, Murati played a crucial role in several groundbreaking projects, including the development of ChatGPT and DALL-E. She was also a key figure in OpenAI’s multi-billion-dollar partnership with Microsoft, the company’s biggest financial supporter. Murati’s contributions solidified her status as one of the most influential figures in the rapidly growing field of artificial intelligence.
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According to her LinkedIn profile, Murati joined OpenAI in June 2018 and was promoted to CTO in May 2022. Before her time at OpenAI, she worked at companies like Leap Motion and Tesla.
She was a prominent public face of OpenAI, often appearing alongside CEO Sam Altman to represent the organisation. She even served as interim CEO for a brief period last year when Altman was removed from his role by the company’s non-profit board.