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OpenAI’s hiring of Sarah Friar as CFO reflects the ‘next phase’ for the AI company, CTO Mira Murati says

By
Emma Hinchliffe
Emma Hinchliffe
and
Joey Abrams
Joey Abrams
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By
Emma Hinchliffe
Emma Hinchliffe
and
Joey Abrams
Joey Abrams
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June 12, 2024, 8:28 AM ET
Mira Murati
Mira Murati, former chief technology officer at OpenAI.PATRICK T. FALLON—AFP/Getty Images

Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Amnesty International calls for clear social media guidelines on abortion-related content, Masha Bucher’s One Day Ventures raises $150 million, and another female leader joins Mira Murati at OpenAI. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

– Next phase. Since OpenAI burst onto the scene with ChatGPT, chief technology officer Mira Murati has been the most prominent woman executive at the tech company—and even in the field of AI. This week another woman joined Sam Altman’s C-suite when OpenAI hired former Nextdoor CEO Sarah Friar as its chief financial officer.

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Friar’s hire grabbed the attention of Silicon Valley. Does hiring a seasoned public company executive as CFO imply an IPO is drawing closer for Microsoft-backed OpenAI?

Luckily, Fortune was already scheduled to sit down with Murati this week. At a Fortune Most Powerful Women dinner in San Francisco last night, Murati responded to that question in an interview with Fortune’s Michal Lev-Ram. Unsurprisingly, Murati didn’t comment on whether the hire implies an IPO is nearing. But, the 35-year-old says, the additions of Friar and new chief product officer Kevin Weil reflect the “next phase” of OpenAI.

“What it really means is that we’re in this next phase of the company where we’re serving hundreds of millions of users and developers and companies out there, and we need to have the most qualified and the best executives,” Murati said.

The company has been through its share of phases already, from its origins as a nonprofit research lab to its relationship with Microsoft and last year’s board drama to its effort to become a more mature business. Underpinning all of that is what Murati focuses on as CTO—OpenAI’s tech advancements, including the potential development of artificial general intelligence.

Albanian-born Murati is one of the most influential leaders building OpenAI’s future, as a Fortunecover story explored last year. For more on her sitdown, read Fortune’s additional coverage here.

Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com

The Broadsheet is Fortune’s newsletter for and about the world’s most powerful women. Today’s edition was curated by Joseph Abrams. Subscribe here.

ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

- Day One x 3. Masha Bucher’s Day One Ventures has raised $150 million for its third fund in a tumultuous venture capital market. The founder and solo general partner defected from Russia, started her own PR firm, and now oversees portfolio companies worth more than $115 billion.Fortune

- New direction. President Joe Biden is reportedly close to appointing Christy Goldsmith Romero, a derivatives regulator, to lead a cultural overhaul of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. An investigation uncovered widespread sexual harassment at the government agency.Wall Street Journal

- Open court. Mexico’s President-elect Claudia Scheinbaum announced that she will pursue a planned judicial overhaul that some have warned could change the balance of power in the country; Supreme Court judges would be elected by popular vote and not appointed. Financial Times

- Appealing but unlikely. Lawyers for Elizabeth Holmes argued for a new trial for the disgraced Theranos founder. Holmes received an 11-year sentence for defrauding investors in 2022, but her legal team says the judge in the original trial made several legal mistakes. CNN

- Algorithm silences. Amnesty International is asking social media sites to establish clear content guidelines on abortion-related posts after six different abortion rights groups said they've had their content restricted on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Meta, parent of Instagram and Facebook, says it permits abortion-related content. TikTok, however, says it limits such content when advertising is involved.New York Times

- Ready for Paris. The USA women's basketball Olympic roster is heavy on veterans and light onhigh-profile rookies. Diana Taurasi will lead the squad that includes Brittney Griner and A’ja Wilson. Today

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Capital B hired Kelly Virella as executive editor. Nest New York hired Toni Lakis as chief creative and brand officer.

ON MY RADAR

As trials loom, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone remains on top of the worldWashington Post

Russia releases female prison inmates to join Ukraine WarNew York Times

What if motherhood isn't transformative at all?The Cut

PARTING WORDS

“What have I done differently since I’ve been in this office? I curse more!”

— Vice President Kamala Harris in a new interview with Rolling Stone

This is the web version of MPW Daily, a daily newsletter for and about the world’s most powerful women. Sign up to get it delivered free to your inbox.
About the Authors
Emma Hinchliffe
By Emma HinchliffeMost Powerful Women Editor
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Emma Hinchliffe is Fortune’s Most Powerful Women editor, overseeing editorial for the longstanding franchise. As a senior writer at Fortune, Emma has covered women in business and gender-lens news across business, politics, and culture. She is the lead author of the Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter (formerly the Broadsheet), Fortune’s daily missive for and about the women leading the business world.

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Joey Abrams
By Joey AbramsAssociate Production Editor

Joey Abrams is the associate production editor at Fortune.

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