Former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati testified under oath that CEO Sam Altman did not tell her the truth and that his habits interfered with his ability to do his job. The allegation that Altman lied about his security practices was already public. the latest New Yorker Feature on Altman. Now it’s court testimony.
For a few odd days in 2023, Murati was one Interim CEO of OpenAI After Altman was briefly fired (And then OpenAI very briefly picked another CEO, Emmett Shear). Reports from this chaotic period Draw a picture of the working relationship between Altman and Murati, which is strained when Murati loses Altman’s trust. Behind-the-scenes accounts said he sent memos to the company’s board and to Altman himself, questioning Altman’s ability to manage, and that his dismissal soon followed.
Murati’s video was shown during the trial on Wednesday Musk v. Altman lawsuithe testified to the truth of this story. According to the New Yorker, a new model, the GPT-4 Turbo, was being prepared for launch, and in his statement, As described by the Vergehe said Altman told OpenAI’s legal department, then run by Jason Kwon, that the OpenAI security board did not need to review the model.
In the presentation, the questioner asked, “As you understand it, Mr. Altman was telling the truth when he made that statement to you?” he asked.
Muratin said “No”. Later, according to the Verge, he explained in his statement: “I confirmed that what Jason said and what Sam said were not the same thing.” He characterized it as a “mistake” between Altman and Kwon. Kwon now Chief Strategy Officer of OpenAI.
According to Reuters“My concern was that Sam would say one thing to one person and say the exact opposite to another person,” Murati said in a statement. He also stated that Altman was “creating chaos.” According to Reuters, he described OpenAI as “at catastrophic risk of collapse” and said he was “worried that the company will completely implode.”
According to the New Yorker, Murati’s memo to Altman and the board came shortly after this interaction, and “After a while, the board decided to fire Altman.” Murati was interim CEO for a few days, then Shir took over for a few days, then Altman was reinstated. Murati is a popularly supported movement.
According to ForbesMurati testified Wednesday that after returning to OpenAI, Altman continued to engage in behaviors that troubled him, including delays around important decisions and inappropriate messaging to different co-workers, creating what he said was a “very difficult and chaotic environment.”
About ten months after Sam Altman was brought back as CEO, Murati leftand a few months later founded his own AI company.
