Mira Murati, who used to be the chief technology officer at OpenAI, is looking to raise money for her new AI startup. She is reportedly talking to investors to secure funding.
Her new company plans to create AI products using special models that are unique to her business. It’s still unclear whether she will be the CEO of this new venture. A spokesperson for Murati did not provide any comments.
Early discussions suggest that Murati might raise over $100 million for her startup, thanks to her strong reputation in the industry and the financial resources needed to develop these special AI models. However, these numbers are not confirmed yet.
Another key figure, Barret Zoph, who also left OpenAI at the same time as Murati, might join her in this new project. He is known for his research work but has not responded to requests for comments.
Murati has a successful track record at OpenAI, where she worked for over six years. She was involved in major projects like ChatGPT and DALL-E and played a significant role in OpenAI’s partnership with Microsoft, which is the company’s biggest financial supporter.
Her journey at OpenAI began in June 2018, and she became CTO in May 2022. Before joining OpenAI, she worked at an augmented reality company called Leap Motion and at Tesla.
Murati often appeared in public alongside OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and was a prominent figure in the launch of OpenAI’s latest voice conversation model, GPT-4o.
Her resignation in late September was part of a wave of changes happening at OpenAI, which is currently reworking its leadership structure. Murati has mentioned wanting to explore new opportunities, which led to her decision to leave the company.
