Several key leaders have recently left OpenAI, including chief research officer Bob McGrew and research VP Barret Zoph, following an earlier announcement by CTO Mira Murati of her own departure. CEO Sam Altman shared the news on Wednesday, revealing that these exits were independent and amicable, but their timing made sense to coordinate. Altman also announced leadership changes, with Mark Chen stepping in as SVP of research and Jakub Pachocki becoming chief scientist. Other promotions include Matt Knight as the new chief information security officer and Josh Achiam as head of mission alignment.
Altman acknowledged that leadership transitions are common in fast-growing companies but admitted that the abrupt nature of these departures was unusual. McGrew, who had been with OpenAI since 2017, said it was time for him to take a break, while Zoph explained that he was ready to explore new opportunities. Both expressed confidence in OpenAI's future leadership.
This wave of exits follows other high-profile departures in recent months, such as Andrej Karpathy, Jan Leike, and co-founder John Schulman. Meanwhile, OpenAI is reportedly moving towards becoming a for-profit entity, a change that could be contributing to internal disagreements.
Altman emphasized that the company remains focused on its mission, with the newly promoted leaders reporting directly to him. Despite the challenges, he expressed excitement about refocusing on the technical and product aspects of OpenAI.