Barret Zoph, OpenAI's head of enterprise AI sales, has departed the company, according to reports from The Verge, just five months after his recent return. Zoph had rejoined OpenAI in mid-January, following a period as co-founder and CTO of Thinking Machines Lab, an AI competitor founded by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati.
Upon his return to OpenAI, Zoph was appointed to a pivotal role leading the company's push into enterprise solutions. This focus on enterprise is a significant strategic priority for OpenAI, which has recently committed to concentrating on key revenue drivers like enterprise and coding, moving away from what it termed "side quests," as it prepares for a potential IPO.
OpenAI confirmed Zoph's departure to The Verge, and he conveyed a farewell message through the company's internal Slack channels. Zoph did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding his exit.
Zoph's prior tenure at Thinking Machines Lab concluded abruptly in January of this year, amidst reports of alleged misconduct involving an undisclosed relationship with a colleague. Mira Murati publicly announced on X in January that Thinking Machines Lab had "parted ways" with Zoph and would be seeking a replacement for his CTO position. He had originally left OpenAI for Murati's venture in the fall of 2023.
The relationship between Thinking Machines Lab and OpenAI has been marked by underlying tensions. Murati herself briefly assumed the role of CEO during Sam Altman's ouster from OpenAI in November 2023, and later testified in a recent OpenAI trial, stating she could not fully trust Altman's assertions. When Murati departed OpenAI in September 2023 to establish Thinking Machines Lab, several OpenAI employees followed. However, three of these individuals, including Zoph, subsequently returned to OpenAI together this past January. Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of Applications, publicly welcomed their return on X at the time, noting that the decision "had been in the works for several weeks."
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