OpenAI was a research lab — now it’s just another tech company

By Kylie Robison , a senior AI reporter working with The Verge's policy and tech teams. She previously worked at Fortune Magazine and Business Insider.

OpenAI launched with a famously altruistic mission: to help humanity by developing artificial general intelligence. But along the way, it became one of the best-funded companies in Silicon Valley. Now, the tension between those two facts is coming to a head. 

Weeks after releasing a new model it claims can “reason,” OpenAI is barreling toward dropping its nonprofit status, some of its most senior employees are leaving, and CEO Sam Altman — who was once briefly ousted over apparent trust concerns — is solidifying his position as one of the most powerful people in tech.

On Wednesday, OpenAI’s longtime chief technology officer, Mira Murati, announced she’s leaving “to create the time and space to do my own exploration.” The same day, chief research officer Bob McGrew and VP of post training Barret Zoph said they would depart as well. Altman called the leadership changes “a natural part of companies” in an X post following Murati’s announcement.

But it follows a trend of departures that’s been building over the past year, following the failed attempt by the board to fire Altman. OpenAI cofounder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, who delivered Altman the news of his firing before publicly walking back his criticism, left OpenAI in May. Jan Leike, a key OpenAI researcher, quit just days later, saying that “safety culture and processes have taken a backseat to shiny products.” Nearly all OpenAI board members at the time of the ouster, except Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo, have resigned, and Altman secured a seat.

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