Mira Murati fed info to board before ousting Sam Altman
mira murati provided screenshots, texts, and allegations of mismanagement to ilya sutskever, who compiled them into a 52-page memo for the openai board. this evidence directly led to the board's unanimous vote to fire sam altman on november 16, 2023. murati initially replaced him as interim ceo but spent the next 14 hours texting altman about his reinstatement, calling the situation 'very bad' while privately strategizing his return.
Court documents from the Musk v. Altman lawsuit reveal that former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati supplied the evidence that triggered Sam Altman's November 2023 ouster. Murati funneled screenshots, text message documentation, and allegations regarding Altman’s conduct at Y Combinator to co-founder Ilya Sutskever. Sutskever subsequently presented a 52-page memo detailing these concerns to the board, leading to a unanimous vote by four directors—Helen Toner, Ilya Sutskever, Adam D’Angelo, and Tasha McCauley—to terminate Altman's employment. Despite her role in the removal, Murati was named interim CEO and immediately engaged in extensive text negotiations with Altman. Over 14 hours, she exchanged 78 messages with him, assessing the board's position and discussing strategy with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, ultimately telling Altman the situation for his return was 'directionally very bad' while facilitating his eventual reinstatement.