OpenAI’s former Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Mira Murati is reportedly raising funds for her new AI startup.
This is according to Reuters, which cited sources familiar with the matter as saying that Murati is raising funds from venture capitalists for her AI startup.
Speculation also suggests that she might receive support from Barret Zoph, OpenAI’s former head of post-training for AI models, who left the company simultaneously with Murati in late September.
Murati’s venture is entering a competitive landscape crowded with commercial and open-source AI models. These models often face rapid obsolescence despite the enormous development costs.
It was only last month when OpenAI had shocked observers when it revealed another round of executive departures, including CTO Mira Murati, VP Research Barret Zoph and Chief Research Officer Bob McGrew.
Her decision to focus on proprietary models hints at a distinct approach, potentially carving a niche in a sector where maintaining innovation is notoriously challenging.
The wave of ex-OpenAI executives launching new ventures highlights broader dynamics within the AI industry. Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI’s co-founder and former Chief Scientist, has launched “Safe Superintelligence Inc.” a startup dedicated to developing safe artificial superintelligence (ASI). The company recently secured $1 billion in funding, although its ambitions remain research-oriented with no immediate commercial returns.
Murati’s departure from OpenAI was notable, but not the first or last departure of AI experts from the company. Recently, though, the exodus has been extreme. Many of these are continuing their careers at competitors such as Anthropic and Safe Superintelligence.
The fact that several OpenAI employees are leaving to join companies like Safe Superintelligence may be a sign that Murati’s company may experience a strong start. That is because OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever started Safe Superintelligence after leaving Altman’s company.
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