Home / Technology
Former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati accuses Sam Altman of creating distrust among executives
Murati said she still believed Altman should remain CEO during leadership crisis that erupted in late 2023
Former OpenAI chief technology officer Mira Murati testified in federal court that CEO Sam Altman created confusion and distrust among senior executives as the artificial intelligence company rapidly expanded its operations and products.
Murati’s recorded testimony was presented on Wednesday during the second week of Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI in Oakland, California.
Musk sued the company in 2024, claiming it abandoned its original nonprofit mission in favor of a profit-driven structure closely tied to major investors.
According to Murati, Altman often gave conflicting messages to different members of OpenAI’s leadership team, contributing to internal friction and uncertainty.
“My concern was about Sam saying one thing to one person and completely the opposite to another person,” Murati said in the testimony.
She added that Altman was “creating chaos” and at times behaved deceptively toward executives, including herself.
Despite the tensions, Murati said she still believed Altman should remain CEO during the leadership crisis that erupted in late 2023, when OpenAI’s board briefly removed him from the position.
Murati, who temporarily served as interim CEO during that period, testified that she feared the company could collapse amid the turmoil and sought greater transparency from the board about its decision.
The trial is examining OpenAI’s governance, business structure, and relationship with investors such as Microsoft, while also exposing disagreements among executives over the company’s commercial direction and leadership as competition in the AI industry intensified.
