Mira Murati Testifies She Couldn’t Trust Sam Altman’s Words
▼ Summary
– Mira Murati testified that Sam Altman lied to her about safety standards for a new AI model, falsely claiming the legal department said it didn’t need deployment safety board review.
– Murati said Altman made her job more difficult by failing to lead with clarity and undermining her ability to work.
– After Altman’s claim, Murati checked with general counsel Jason Kwon and found “misalignment” between their statements, so she ensured the model went through the safety board.
– Altman has been previously accused of lying by cofounder Ilya Sutskever and former board member Helen Toner, who cited patterns of deceit and manipulation.
– The board fired Altman in November 2023, stating he was not consistently candid, and Murati briefly served as interim CEO, later leaving OpenAI to found Thinking Machines Lab.
Mira Murati, the former chief technology officer of OpenAI, testified under oath that CEO Sam Altman lied to her about the safety protocols for a new AI model. During a video deposition played on Wednesday in the ongoing Musk v. Altman trial, Murati stated that Altman falsely claimed the company’s legal department had determined the model did not require review by the deployment safety board. When asked directly if Altman was telling the truth, Murati replied, “No.”
Murati described how Altman made her job significantly harder during her time at OpenAI. Her criticism, she explained, “is completely management related.” She elaborated, “I had an incredibly hard job to do in an organization that was very complex. I was asking Sam to lead, and lead with clarity, and not undermine my ability to do my job.”
One specific incident involved a GPT model and its safety review. After speaking with Altman, Murati verified his claims with Jason Kwon, OpenAI’s general counsel who later became chief strategy officer. Murati discovered a “misalignment” between what Altman and Kwon had told her. “I confirmed that what Jason was saying and what Sam was saying were not the same thing,” she testified. To avoid any risk, she ensured the model still went through the safety board.
This is not the first accusation of dishonesty against Altman. Co-founder Ilya Sutskever, in a 52-page memo to OpenAI’s board read during a deposition, alleged that Altman “exhibits a consistent pattern of lying, undermining his execs, and pitting his execs against one another.” Former board member Helen Toner also stated in a 2024 podcast that OpenAI executives shared evidence of Altman “lying and being manipulative in different situations.” Murati agreed with these descriptions, confirming that Altman pitted executives against each other and undermined her authority.
When OpenAI’s board fired Altman in November 2023, they cited his lack of candor, stating he “was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities.” They added that the board “no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.” When asked by The Verge why the board lost trust in him, Altman deflected, saying, “That will be a better question for them.”
Murati briefly served as interim CEO after Altman’s firing but criticized the board’s decision in her testimony, warning that “OpenAI was at catastrophic risk of falling apart.” She left the company in 2024 and later founded Thinking Machines Lab, a direct competitor to OpenAI.
(Source: The Verge)
