OpenAI has witnessed significant leadership changes as Bob McGrew, the chief research officer, and Barret Zoph, a research vice president, announced their departures shortly after the company’s CTO, Mira Murati, revealed her exit.
CEO Sam Altman shared the developments on X, explaining that the resignations were made independently but timed to ensure a seamless transition to new leadership. He emphasized that the decision to announce these changes at once was deliberate and aimed at facilitating a smooth handover.
Mark Chen, previously the VP of research, has been elevated to senior vice president of research and will collaborate with Jakub Pachocki, who assumes the role of chief scientist. Additionally, Matt Knight, formerly the head of security, will now serve as chief information security officer. The existing leadership team will continue to oversee OpenAI’s applied division, responsible for implementing the company’s technology across various sectors.
Altman also highlighted Josh Achiam, a research scientist, who will take on the new position of head of mission alignment. Achiam’s role will focus on ensuring the organization’s mission and cultural integrity.
In his communication to staff, Altman reassured them that such leadership changes are typical in fast-growing companies, even if the abruptness was unusual for OpenAI. He recognized the past contributions of the departing executives while looking forward to concentrating more on the company’s technical and product aspects.
McGrew, reflecting on his tenure, described his time at OpenAI as a “humbling and awe-inspiring journey” and expressed confidence in the company’s future. He left his role after a significant period, having joined OpenAI as a technical staff member in 2017 and rising to chief research officer.
Zoph joined OpenAI in 2022 and indicated his departure was a personal choice to seek new opportunities, citing a natural time for change within his career trajectory.
While the outgoing executives maintain that their departures were amicable, these changes follow discussions about OpenAI’s potential transition from a nonprofit to a for-profit model, alongside a funding round valuing the company at $150 billion. Such shifts in direction appear to have contributed to the recent executive turnover.
OpenAI is set to hold an all-hands meeting soon, where further clarity on these developments is anticipated. The company’s leadership reshuffling adds to a growing list of high-level exits, including research scientist Andrej Karpathy and co-founder John Schulman. Among the original 13 founders of OpenAI, only three remain at the company.
Altman acknowledged the intensity of leadership roles within OpenAI, noting both the privilege and the challenges that come with driving a rapidly growing company focused on advanced research.