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How It Works • AI

Mira Murati

Mira Murati is an Albanian-American business executive and engineer known for her leadership roles in artificial intelligence.

Updated July 30, 20261 min readCited sources

Mira Murati is an Albanian-American engineer and executive known for leading product development at OpenAI and later founding her own AI startup, Thinking Machines Lab.

What it is

Mira Murati is a business executive and engineer who rose to prominence as chief technology officer of OpenAI from 2022 to 2024. She briefly served as interim CEO in November 2023 after Sam Altman’s removal. In February 2025, she founded Thinking Machines Lab, an AI startup where she is CEO.

Key details

Born in Vlorë, Albania, in 1988, Murati studied engineering in Canada, including at Pearson College UWC. Before OpenAI, she worked at Tesla on the Model X and at Leap Motion. At OpenAI, she oversaw major products like ChatGPT, DALL·E, and Sora. She left OpenAI in September 2024.

Why it matters

Murati’s career reflects the rapid evolution of AI leadership. Her move from a top role at OpenAI to founding her own lab signals a shift in how AI talent is shaping the industry. Her Canadian education also ties her to Canada’s growing AI ecosystem.

In short

  • Served as OpenAI’s CTO from 2022 to 2024 and interim CEO in November 2023.
  • Founded Thinking Machines Lab in February 2025.
  • Worked at Tesla and Leap Motion before OpenAI.
  • Received education in Canada, including at Pearson College UWC.
Canadian angle

Murati is connected to Canada through educational references in the provided sources, which say she received education in Canada and one source mentions Pearson College UWC in Canada.

Quick questions

Who is Mira Murati?
Mira Murati is an Albanian-American engineer and executive known for senior roles at OpenAI and for founding Thinking Machines Lab.
When did Mira Murati leave OpenAI?
She left OpenAI in September 2024.
What is Thinking Machines Lab?
It is an AI startup founded by Murati in February 2025, where she serves as CEO.

Sources

  1. Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mira_Murati
    Supports: Birth name, birth date, nationality, OpenAI CTO role, and founding of Thinking Machines Lab.
  2. German Wikipediahttps://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mira_Murati
    Supports: OpenAI CTO timeline, interim CEO role, and founding of Thinking Machines Lab.
  3. The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/17/technology/mira-murati-openai.html
    Supports: Interim CEO appointment, Albanian origin, and education in Canada.
  4. TIMEhttps://time.com/collections/time100-ai-2024/7012712/mira-murati-2/
    Supports: Her role in OpenAI’s rise and interim CEO appointment.
  5. Microsofthttps://www.microsoft.com/en-us/behind-the-tech/mira-murati-chief-technology-officer-openai
    Supports: Her CTO role at OpenAI and work on ChatGPT, DALL·E and GPT-4.
  6. WIREDhttps://www.wired.com/video/watch/new-beginnings-a-conversation-with-mira-murati
    Supports: Her OpenAI responsibilities and prior work at Tesla and Leap Motion.