OpenAI’s CFO, Sarah Friar, sought to calm investors following a series of high-profile executive departures, assuring them that the company remains strong and poised to close a major funding round. In an email to investors. Friar addressed the departure of Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati and two top research executives, Bob McGrew and Barret Zoph, who all left this week.
“While leadership changes are never easy, I want to ensure you have the full context,” Friar wrote. She highlighted Murati’s contributions over her six-and-a-half-year tenure and emphasized the company’s “talented leadership bench” that remains capable of competing in the rapidly evolving AI industry.
Despite the recent turnover, OpenAI, which is backed by Microsoft and has recently partnered with Apple, is finalizing a $6.5 billion funding round. The round, led by Thrive Capital with a $1 billion investment, is expected to value the company at $150 billion. According to Friar, the funding round is oversubscribed and should close by next week.
In her message, Friar emphasized that the company remains “laser-focused” on democratizing AI and building sustainable revenue models, noting that investors will soon be introduced to key product and research leaders. The company remains committed to its next phase of growth.
Murati’s exit follows other high-profile departures at OpenAI, including co-founder John Schulman and safety chief Jan Leike, who joined rival Anthropic. Other founders such as Ilya Sutskever and Greg Brockman have also left, with Sutskever starting his own AI company, and Brockman currently on a leave of absence.
To fill the leadership gap, Mark Chen will assume the role of Senior Vice President of Research, while other executives like Kevin Weil, formerly of Meta, and Srinivas Narayanan will continue to drive the company forward.
In addition, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addressed concerns in an all-hands meeting regarding rumors of a “giant equity stake” for himself, which he firmly denied. Investors have expressed concerns about Altman’s lack of equity in the company he co-founded nearly nine years ago.