Mira Murati, the former CTO of OpenAI, has laid bare the chaos that gripped the company during its November 2023 leadership crisis. In a June 5 interview with Bloomberg, Murati said flatly that OpenAI would have failed if Sam Altman had not been brought back as CEO.
Five days that almost ended OpenAI
On November 17, 2023, OpenAI’s board fired Altman, citing concerns about his management style. Murati was named interim CEO. Murati’s first move as interim chief was to push for the reinstatement of Altman. She rallied employees and investors around the argument that Altman’s return was essential for the company’s survival.
The board replaced her with former Twitch CEO Emmett Shear as a second interim CEO. Altman returned on November 22, just five days after the original ouster.
Governance overhaul and lingering legal shadows