Author Archives: Morpheus

Mira Murati

Mira Murati is an Albanian-American technology executive prominently known for her leadership roles in artificial intelligence. Born on December 16, 1988, in Vlorë, Albania, she attended Pearson College in Canada before earning degrees from Colby College and Dartmouth College1.

Her early career included positions at Zodiac Aerospace, Tesla (working on the Model X), and Leap Motion. In 2018, Murati joined OpenAI as Vice President of Applied AI and Partnerships. She was promoted to Chief Technology Officer (CTO) in 2022, where she played a central role in the development of major AI products including ChatGPT, DALL-E, Codex, and Sora. As CTO, she oversaw research, product, and safety teams, advocating for the responsible deployment of AI technologies14.

Murati briefly served as interim CEO of OpenAI during the company’s high-profile leadership crisis in November 2023, following Sam Altman’s removal and then reinstatement. She returned to the CTO role after Altman’s comeback and subsequently stepped down in September 2024 to pursue her own projects13.

Following her OpenAI tenure, Murati founded Thinking Machines Lab in February 2025, a public benefit corporation aimed at making AI systems more understandable, customizable, and capable. The startup quickly attracted a high-profile team (including former OpenAI talent) and significant investment, raising about $2 billion at a $12 billion valuation by July 2025156. Thinking Machines Lab is recognized for offering high salaries to attract top AI talent and aims to unveil its first product with an open-source component targeting researchers and startups56.

Murati is often highlighted for her strategic leadership—she was reportedly a key figure during OpenAI’s management upheavals—and for her swift transition to entrepreneurship, rapidly establishing her influence in the next generation of AI startups25.

She has received industry-wide recognition, including placements on Fortune’s Most Powerful Women in Business and Time’s 100 Most Influential People in AI1. In 2024, Dartmouth College awarded her an honorary Doctor of Science degree1.

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mira_Murati
  2. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44573574
  3. https://www.linkedin.com/news/story/openai-cto-murati-steps-down-6180252/
  4. https://www.unlearn.ai/team/mira-murati
  5. https://www.reuters.com/technology/mira-muratis-ai-startup-thinking-machines-raises-2-billion-a16z-led-round-2025-07-15/
  6. https://www.businessinsider.com/muratis-new-ai-startup-salary-technical-talent-2025-6
  7. https://x.com/miramurati/status/1945166365834535247
  8. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/behind-the-tech/mira-murati-chief-technology-officer-openai
  9. https://www.instagram.com/_iraurati/