Written by Anna Tong and Crystal Hu
Former OpenAI chief technology officer Mira Murati is raising money from venture capitalists for a new AI startup, people familiar with the matter said.
The new company aims to build AI products based on its own models, said one of the people, who requested anonymity to discuss private matters. It is unclear whether Murati will become CEO of the new business.
A representative for Murati declined to comment.
Negotiations are in the early stages, but Murati’s new venture could raise more than $100 million, one of the people said, given Murati’s reputation and the funding needed to train his unique model. , warned that the numbers were not yet finalized.
Prominent researcher Barrett Zoff, who left OpenAI on the same day as Murati at the end of September, may also be involved in the new venture, the people added. Zoff did not respond to requests for comment.
The Information previously reported that Zoph is planning a new startup and Murati is recruiting OpenAI employees to join the new venture.
At OpenAI, Murati has spent more than six years spearheading innovative projects such as ChatGPT and DALL-E. She was a key figure in OpenAI’s multibillion-dollar partnership with its largest financial backer, Microsoft.
Murati’s meteoric rise at OpenAI has cemented her name as one of the most prominent executives in the emerging field of artificial intelligence.
Murati joined OpenAI in June 2018 and was promoted to CTO in May 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile. Prior to joining OpenAI, he worked at augmented reality startup Leap Motion and Tesla.
She frequently appeared as the public face of the ChatGPT maker along with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. When OpenAI announced its GPT-4o model capable of realistic voice conversations in May, Murati led the presentation.
Her sudden departure in late September was the latest high-profile exit as the ChatGPT maker makes major governance structure changes, including removing control of its nonprofit board. Murati, who briefly served as interim CEO when Altman was fired by the nonprofit’s board last year, cited a desire for personal exploration as the reason for his resignation.
Murati joins a growing list of former OpenAI executives launching startups that include rivals like Anthropic and Safe Superintelligence.
(Reporting by Anna Tong in San Francisco and Crystal Hu in New York; Editing by Kenneth Lee and Bill Berkrot)
