It's been a wild year for OpenAI: Last November, the sudden resignation of CEO Sam Altman and the resulting revolt of most employees cast doubt on the future of the world's most famous AI company. Since then, OpenAI has lost several key figures, undergone a major board reshuffle, and some employees have spoken out publicly against the company. At the same time, the company is facing a series of lawsuits, increased antitrust scrutiny, and the threat of AI regulation in both the US and Europe.
Still, the ChatGPT maker finds itself at the epicenter of the booming AI industry and is preparing to raise additional funding from big-name investors that could value the company at more than $150 billion. Amid all this excitement and turmoil, the company has been making numerous new hires. From high-profile lawyers to world-class researchers to lobbyists in Washington, OpenAI is building out nearly every area of the company. But who are the key figures in the company? We introduce you to some of the most important players who will help shape the future of the AI giant.
Update as of September 26, 2024: As the Reuters news agency exclusively reported on Wednesday, ChatGPT developer OpenAI wants to restructure its core business into a for-profit company. Reuters referred to statements from people familiar with the matter. Until now, the for-profit part was controlled by the board of the OpenAI non-profit organization. This organization should continue to exist, but only hold a minority stake in the for-profit company, the report says.
It is also said that as part of the restructuring, CEO Sam Altman will receive shares in the profit-making part of the company. This profit-making division could be worth the equivalent of 135 billion euros (150 billion US dollars) after the restructuring. The sources cited by Reuters add that the cap on investors' returns will also be lifted.
As part of this restructuring, there were further personnel changes in OpenAI’s leadership team. On Wednesday, Mira Murati, Chief Technology Officer, that she would be leaving the company. Her message to employees states that she wants to devote herself to her own research. She was part of the company for over six years, and for the last two and a half years she led the technical product developments for ChatGPT and the image generator Dall-E as CTO. After Altman's brief dismissal in 2023, Murati temporarily took over the CEO position. She is also known as OpenAI's “Minister of Truth” because of her commitment to ensuring that the company's AI products are not misleading or biased.
Shortly after Murati announced her departure, Barret Zoph, Vice President of Research, on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) announced his resignation. He wants to explore new career opportunities outside of OpenAI, it says in his post. Chief Research Officer, Bob McGrew, informed OpenAI employees that he would be leaving the company to take a break. McGrew's duties will be taken over by Mark Chen as SVP of Research and Jakub Pachocki as Chief Scientist, as company boss Altman announced on X. Joshua Achiam, who started at OpenAI as an intern seven years ago, will take on the role of Head of Mission Alignment. His role is to “make sure we get all the pieces (and the culture) right to be able to succeed in the mission,” Altman's post said.
Read also
Leadership
Sarah Friar, Chief Financial Officer
Source: https://www.businessinsider.de/gruenderszene/technologie/openai-fuehrung-nach-muratis-ruecktritt-die-verbliebenen-talente/
