In the extraordinary drama that engulfed OpenAI at the end of 2023, global attention focused almost exclusively on the figure of Sam Altman, the charismatic leader who was fired and spectacularly reinstated within days to his executive role. However, an in-depth analysis published by The New Yorker suggests that the real story of this crisis cannot be understood without examining the role of another figure, the Albanian Mira Murati.
Murati, a high-profile engineer and technology executive within the company, found herself in a delicate position when internal tensions erupted publicly. She was appointed interim CEO at the height of the crisis, a role that appeared technical and transitional but in reality placed her at the center of a fierce clash over power, narrative, and control of artificial intelligence's future.
According to The New Yorker's analysis, Murati was not merely a neutral figure in this conflict. She had shared materials and concerns with Ilya Sutskever, which were later used in the memos that led to Altman's dismissal. This placed her in a sensitive position as an insider in the process that challenged the existing leadership, but also as a figure who had to guarantee the company's stability at a critical moment.
While outside the company the crisis was interpreted as a conflict between the board and a powerful CEO, inside it a much more complex battle was unfolding, where trust, loyalty, and public perception played roles just as crucial as strategic decisions.
One of the most significant episodes of this period is the description of what was happening in Altman's "war room." According to the article, every evening around six o'clock, he would interrupt intensive meetings to have a Negroni and calm the atmosphere. "You need to relax," he is remembered as saying. "Whatever will happen, will happen."