Mira Murati, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at OpenAI and an important figure behind the development of ChatGPT and DALL-E, the platform's text-to-image generator, has announced she will be stepping down from her role.

In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), Murati explained her decision, saying, "I'm stepping away because I want to create the time and space to do my own exploration. For now, my primary focus is doing everything in my power to ensure a smooth transition, maintaining the momentum we've built."

Murati is not the only high-profile departure from OpenAI. Bob McGrew, the company's Chief Research Officer, and Barret Zoph, Vice President of Post-Training, are also leaving.

According to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, these decisions were made independently and amicably. In a note to employees, Altman stated, "Leadership changes are a natural part of companies, especially those that grow so quickly and are so demanding." 

In his message, Altman acknowledged the abruptness of her departure, stating, "I won't pretend it's natural for this one to be so abrupt, but we are not a normal company."

Murati's decision to leave follows nearly a year after an upheaval at OpenAI, during which Altman was briefly ousted as CEO in a dramatic boardroom coup. Murati took the reins as interim leader during that crisis, stabilising the company until Altman's return.

Murati's six-year tenure at OpenAI has been marked by the launch of several transformative technologies, making her a central figure in the company's rapid rise to prominence. Her exit coincides with OpenAI's annual Dev Day conference in San Francisco next week.

OpenAI recently raised billions of dollars in funding and is transitioning to a for-profit model, with Altman reportedly securing a 7-percent equity stake.