Introduction
Few technology partnerships have attracted as much attention as Mira Murati and Sam Altman. During their years at OpenAI, both played important roles as the company developed products such as ChatGPT and DALL-E. Their story includes major technological achievements, leadership disagreements, and the dramatic events surrounding Altman’s temporary removal as CEO in 2023. Today, Murati and Altman lead different organizations, but their shared history at OpenAI continues to attract public attention.
Who Is Mira Murati?
Mira Murati is a technology executive who was born in Albania and built her career in engineering and technology. Before joining OpenAI, she worked at companies including Tesla, where she was involved in product and engineering work.
Murati joined OpenAI in 2018 and eventually became the company’s chief technology officer. During her time in that position, she was involved in the development and launch of major OpenAI products, including ChatGPT and DALL-E. Her technical background and ability to explain artificial intelligence to the public made her one of OpenAI’s most recognizable executives.
In September 2024, Murati announced that she was leaving OpenAI after more than six years with the company. She later became the CEO and co-founder of Thinking Machines Lab, an AI research and product company launched publicly in February 2025.
Thinking Machines Lab quickly attracted major investor interest. In July 2025, the company closed a $2 billion seed round that valued it at approximately $12 billion.
Who Is Sam Altman?
Sam Altman is the co-founder and CEO of OpenAI and one of the most recognizable figures in the artificial intelligence industry. He previously led Y Combinator before becoming involved in OpenAI’s leadership.
Under Altman’s leadership, OpenAI released ChatGPT publicly in 2022, helping bring generative AI into mainstream use. He has since become a prominent voice on artificial intelligence, technological progress, and the possible future development of increasingly capable AI systems.
Altman’s leadership has also attracted criticism and controversy. His management style became a major topic of discussion during the events surrounding his removal from OpenAI in 2023 and later during legal proceedings involving the company.
The OpenAI Partnership
Mira Murati and Sam Altman worked together at OpenAI for several years. As CTO, Murati was responsible for leading the company’s technical organization and played an important role in turning research into products. Altman, as CEO, focused heavily on the company’s overall strategy, partnerships, fundraising, and public direction.
Their roles were different, but both became closely associated with OpenAI’s rapid rise. During their time together, the company released ChatGPT, DALL-E, and other important AI technologies.
Their professional relationship became especially significant during the leadership crisis of November 2023.
The 2023 Firing and “The Blip”
In November 2023, OpenAI’s board unexpectedly removed Sam Altman as CEO. The board said it no longer had confidence in his leadership, although the initial announcement provided limited detail about the specific concerns.
Mira Murati was appointed interim CEO during the crisis. The situation changed rapidly over the following days. Emmett Shear was briefly appointed CEO before OpenAI ultimately reached an agreement to bring Altman back.
During the crisis, Altman and Murati exchanged messages as the future of OpenAI remained uncertain. Newly revealed evidence from the later Musk v. Altman case provided additional details about those communications. Murati ultimately supported Altman’s return, while also expressing concerns about the company’s ability to remain stable during the turmoil.
The episode became one of the most dramatic leadership disputes in the history of the technology industry.
Life After OpenAI: Thinking Machines Lab
Murati left OpenAI in September 2024. At the time, Altman publicly thanked her for her contributions and described her as an important part of OpenAI’s development.
In February 2025, Murati publicly launched Thinking Machines Lab. The company focuses on advanced AI research and building AI systems designed to be useful and accessible.
The new company quickly attracted attention because of Murati’s reputation and the number of former OpenAI employees who joined her. Its $2 billion seed funding round in 2025 gave the company a reported $12 billion valuation.
Murati’s departure therefore marked the end of her direct working relationship with Altman at OpenAI, while beginning a new chapter in her own career.
The Musk-OpenAI Trial and Murati’s Testimony
In 2026, Mira Murati and Sam Altman were again connected through Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI. Musk sued OpenAI over its transition toward a for-profit structure, arguing that the company had moved away from its original nonprofit mission.
Murati’s testimony became one of the notable moments of the trial. In recorded testimony played in federal court in May 2026, she discussed her concerns about Altman’s leadership style.
Murati said she believed Altman sometimes gave different messages to different people and described the situation as creating distrust and chaos among senior executives. She also testified that she did not always consider him honest with her and said that she believed he had undermined her role and created tension between executives.
Her testimony offered a more detailed look at the internal disagreements that had existed at OpenAI before and during the 2023 leadership crisis. Importantly, these statements were Murati’s testimony and allegations about Altman’s conduct, rather than established findings that he acted improperly.
The trial also brought renewed attention to the messages exchanged between Altman and Murati during the 2023 crisis.
Why Their Story Still Matters
The story of Mira Murati and Sam Altman provides a glimpse into the intense leadership challenges facing major AI companies. Both played important roles during OpenAI’s transformation from a research organization into one of the world’s most influential AI companies.
Their professional relationship also shows how disagreements over leadership, safety, communication, and corporate direction can become highly consequential inside rapidly growing technology companies.
Today, Murati leads Thinking Machines Lab while Altman continues to lead OpenAI. Their careers have taken different directions, but their shared history remains an important part of the story of modern artificial intelligence.
Conclusion
The story of Mira Murati and Sam Altman is closely tied to the rise of OpenAI and the rapid growth of artificial intelligence. They worked together during a period that saw the launch of some of the world’s most widely discussed AI products.
Their relationship later became more complicated as leadership disagreements emerged and Altman was temporarily removed as CEO in 2023. Murati eventually left OpenAI and launched Thinking Machines Lab, while Altman returned to lead OpenAI.
Their paths crossed again in 2026 when Murati’s testimony became part of Elon Musk’s legal challenge involving OpenAI. As both continue their work in artificial intelligence, their shared history remains a compelling example of how leadership, trust, and corporate strategy can shape the future of technology.
FAQs
1. Did Mira Murati and Sam Altman work together at OpenAI?
Yes. Murati and Altman worked together at OpenAI for several years. Murati served as chief technology officer, while Altman served as CEO.
2. Why was Sam Altman removed from OpenAI in 2023?
OpenAI’s board removed Altman as CEO in November 2023, saying it no longer had confidence in his leadership. The decision triggered a major leadership crisis, and Altman returned as CEO only days later.
3. What company did Mira Murati start after leaving OpenAI?
Murati became the CEO and co-founder of Thinking Machines Lab, an AI research and product company publicly launched in February 2025.
4. What did Mira Murati say about Sam Altman during the 2026 trial?
Murati testified that Altman sometimes gave different messages to different people and that she believed his leadership created distrust and chaos among executives. She also said she did not always consider him honest with her. These were statements from her testimony about her experience working with him.
5. Are Mira Murati and Sam Altman still working together?
No. Murati left OpenAI in September 2024 and later launched Thinking Machines Lab. Altman remains CEO of OpenAI. Their professional paths are now separate, although their shared history continues to receive attention.