Mira Murati, the Chief Technology Officer of OpenAI, has announced her departure from the company.

• Mira Murati, the technology chief of OpenAI, announced on Wednesday that she will be leaving the company after six and a half years.
• A high-valued startup has seen another high-level exec leave, with Murati being the latest in a line of departures.
• Murati stated that she is "taking a step back to allow myself the opportunity to focus on my own personal journey."

Mira Murati, the chief technology officer of OpenAI, announced on Wednesday that she will be leaving the company after six and a half years.

"After careful consideration, I have decided to depart from OpenAI," she announced in a company memo, which she also posted on X, stating, "It's never easy to leave a place you love, but this moment feels right."

A growing number of high-level executives, including OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, former safety leader Jan Leike, and co-founder John Schulman, have departed the high-valued startup.

Murati stated that she is "stepping away to create time and space for my own exploration. My primary focus is to ensure a smooth transition and maintain the momentum we've built."

Microsoft-backed startup OpenAI, which developed ChatGPT and SearchGPT, is currently seeking funding that could value the company at over $150 billion. Thrive Capital is leading the round and plans to invest $1 billion, while Tiger Global is also considering joining. Sources say Microsoft, Nvidia, and Apple are also in talks to invest.

Since its launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, OpenAI has experienced both rapid growth and controversy, as well as high-level employee departures, with some current and former employees expressing concerns about the company's ability to operate safely due to its rapid expansion.

In June, at The Wall Street Journal's WSJ Tech Live Conference, Murati expressed concern that the emergence of new AI tools may result in the loss of certain creative jobs.

"Some jobs may become obsolete, but they should not have existed if their output is not of high quality," Murati stated in an interview, emphasizing, "I strongly believe that utilizing it as an educational and creative tool will enhance our intelligence, creativity, and imagination."

In November, when OpenAI's board unexpectedly removed CEO Sam Altman, Murati became a prominent figure and was appointed interim CEO.

The board of OpenAI stated that Altman had not been consistently truthful in his interactions with the board. The Wall Street Journal and other media outlets reported that Sutskever prioritized ensuring that AI would not harm humans, while others, including Altman, were more focused on accelerating the delivery of new technology.

OpenAI's employees had signed an open letter stating their intention to leave the company in response to the board's action. However, days later, Altman returned to the company and Murati resumed her role as CTO. Toner and McCauley were removed from the board, while Sutskever was removed from the board but remained an employee.

This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.