**OpenAI's CTO Mira Murati Announces Departure after Six and a Half Years**

In a surprising development, OpenAI's Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati announced her departure from the company after a notable tenure of six and a half years. Murati shared her decision to leave through a memo to the company and a public post on social media site X. She explained that her departure comes after much contemplation and with the intent to create room for personal exploration.

Murati's exit marks the latest in a series of high-profile departures from OpenAI. In recent months, the company has witnessed the exit of key figures including co-founder Ilya Sutskever and former safety leader Jan Leike in May, followed by co-founder John Schulman, who left last month to join rival firm Anthropic. Despite these changes, Murati emphasized her commitment to ensuring a smooth transition and maintaining the company's momentum.

Currently, OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, is engaged in a substantial funding round that could push its valuation over $150 billion. Thrive Capital is reportedly leading the round with a planned investment of $1 billion. Other major players like Tiger Global, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Apple are also reportedly in discussions to invest in the company.

Since the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, OpenAI has been experiencing rapid growth. However, this expansion has not been without its challenges and controversies, particularly concerning the company's ability to manage such swift growth safely. In June, Murati caused a stir with her comments at The Wall Street Journal's WSJ Tech Live Conference, where she suggested that new AI tools might lead to the disappearance of some creative jobs, sparking a broader debate about the future of AI in the workforce.

Murati became a prominent figure at OpenAI last November when the company’s board unexpectedly ousted then-CEO Sam Altman, designating her as the interim CEO. The board cited concerns about Altman’s transparency. Subsequently, the board underwent its own shakeup when Altman was reinstated as CEO and Murati returned to her CTO role, while board members Helen Toner and Tasha McCauley, along with Sutskever, who remained an employee, faced removal or demotion from the board.

Murati's departure adds another layer of uncertainty to the company's future trajectory, even as OpenAI continues to break new ground in the AI sector.