In a videotaped testimony played in court, former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati testified under oath that Sam Altman lied to her about whether an AI model needed to be reviewed by the company’s safety committee. Altman told her the legal department had determined the model didn’t require committee approval, but when Murati checked with chief legal officer Jason Kwon, she found their stories didn’t match. She ended up submitting the model for review herself.
Murati also backed up co-founder Ilya Sutskever’s description of Altman. In a 52-page memo, Sutskever wrote that Altman “consistently lies, undermines executive authority, and pits executives against each other.” Former OpenAI board member Helen Toner previously revealed on a podcast that multiple executives had presented evidence to the board of Altman lying and manipulating.
Murati’s criticism of Altman centered on his management style. She said her job was already incredibly difficult, but Altman constantly “undermined my ability to do my job.” She briefly served as interim CEO after Altman’s board ouster in 2023, but criticized the board’s actions for putting OpenAI at risk of “catastrophic disintegration.” She left OpenAI in 2024 to found competitor Thinking Machines Lab.