Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Fortune
Fortune
Emma Hinchliffe, Joseph Abrams

Hiring of new CFO reflects OpenAI's 'next phase,' CTO Mira Murati says

(Credit: PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP—Getty Images)

Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Amnesty International calls for clear social media guidelines on abortion-related content, Masha Bucher's One Day Ventures raises $150 million, and another female leader joins Mira Murati at OpenAI. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

- Next phase. Since OpenAI burst onto the scene with ChatGPT, chief technology officer Mira Murati has been the most prominent woman executive at the tech company—and even in the field of AI. This week another woman joined Sam Altman's C-suite when OpenAI hired former Nextdoor CEO Sarah Friar as its chief financial officer.

Friar's hire grabbed the attention of Silicon Valley. Does hiring a seasoned public company executive as CFO imply an IPO is drawing closer for Microsoft-backed OpenAI?

Luckily, Fortune was already scheduled to sit down with Murati this week. At a Fortune Most Powerful Women dinner in San Francisco last night, Murati responded to that question in an interview with Fortune’s Michal Lev-Ram. Unsurprisingly, Murati didn't comment on whether the hire implies an IPO is nearing. But, the 35-year-old says, the additions of Friar and new chief product officer Kevin Weil reflect the "next phase" of OpenAI.

"What it really means is that we're in this next phase of the company where we're serving hundreds of millions of users and developers and companies out there, and we need to have the most qualified and the best executives," Murati said.

The company has been through its share of phases already, from its origins as a nonprofit research lab to its relationship with Microsoft and last year's board drama to its effort to become a more mature business. Underpinning all of that is what Murati focuses on as CTO—OpenAI's tech advancements, including the potential development of artificial general intelligence.

Albanian-born Murati is one of the most influential leaders building OpenAI's future, as a Fortune cover story explored last year. For more on her sitdown, read Fortune’s additional coverage here.

Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com

The Broadsheet is Fortune's newsletter for and about the world's most powerful women. Today's edition was curated by Joseph Abrams. Subscribe here.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.