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

Here's the thing about asking investors for money: they want to see returns.

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.

"I obviously won't pretend it's natural for this one to be so abrupt, but we are not a normal company," Altman wrote.

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.

The company that once fired Altman for being "not consistently candid in his communication" has since been reshaped by him.