OpenAI’s Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati has announced her departure from the company after 6.5 years. In a statement on Twitter, Murati explained that she is leaving to create space for her own exploration. She did not announce a successor, but CEO Sam Altman says the company will reveal more about transition plans soon.

According to reports, OpenAI is also restructuring from a board-controlled nonprofit to a for-profit company, with Altman receiving equity. This move could make the company more attractive to investors as it seeks funding from companies like Apple and Nvidia.

Murati joined OpenAI in 2018 and was responsible for managing projects like ChatGPT and Dall-E. This year, she oversaw the release of several major features, including Voice Mode, Sora text-to-video generator, and GPT-o1 model. In her statement, Murati says that these releases mark the beginning of a new era of interaction and intelligence.

Her tenure also included a brief stint as interim CEO when Altman temporarily stepped down in 2023. Altman expressed gratitude towards Murati for her contributions and support during difficult times.

OpenAI has seen several leadership departures this year, including co-founder Ilya Sutskever, researcher Jan Leike, and co-founder John Schulman. President and co-founder Greg Brockman also announced a sabbatical for the rest of 2024.