According to informed sources, the former OpenAI Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati is raising money from venture capitalists for her new AI startup.
The source said.The new company plans to build AI products based on proprietary models developed in-house. It's unclear whether Murati will become CEO of the new company.Murati's representatives declined to comment on the matter, said a source who declined to be named because it was a private matter.
While negotiations are in the early stages, one source revealed that the new company could raise more than $100 million, given Murati's reputation in the industry and the large amount of capital needed to train proprietary models. However, he also cautioned that these figures have not yet been finalized.
Another source said that Barret Zoph, a prominent researcher who left OpenAI at the end of September along with Murati, may also be involved in the new project, and Zoph did not respond to a request for comment.
The Information previously reported that Zoph is planning to start a new company, and Murati has been recruiting employees from OpenAI to join her new company.
Murati has been with OpenAI for more than six years, leading transformative programs such as ChatGPT and DALL-E. She has been instrumental in bringing OpenAI together with itsmaximumFinancial backer Microsoft one of the key players in the multi-billion dollar partnership deal.
Murati's rapid career progression at OpenAI has made her one of the most prominent executives in the emerging field of artificial intelligence.
Murati joined OpenAI in June 2018 and was promoted to CTO in May 2022, according to her LinkedIn profile. Prior to that, she worked on augmented realityStartups Leap Motion and Tesla (TSLA.O) work.
As one of OpenAI's public representatives, Murati regularly attends events with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. When OpenAI unveiled its GPT-4o model with realistic voice dialog in May of this year, Murati led the launch demonstration.
Murati's sudden resignation at the end of September marked yet another executive departure at ChatGPT Development during a period when the company was undergoing major changes to its governance structure, including the removal of control from the nonprofit board.Murati had briefly served as interim chief executive officer when Altman was ousted by the nonprofit board last year. When she resigned, she said she wanted to pursue personal exploration.
Murati now joins a flurry of former OpenAI executives starting new companies, including competitors such as Anthropic and Safe Superintelligence.