Mira Maruti net worth: Meet the former OpenAI CTO who turned down $1 billion from Mark Zuckerberg to join Meta AI
Sneha Kumari | Jul 31, 2025, 12:10 IST
Highlight of the story: Mira Maruti, former OpenAI CTO and AI pioneer, rejected a $1 billion offer from Meta to join its AI Superintelligence team. Valuing independence and long-term vision, her startup, called Thinking Machine Lab, turned down lucrative deals, prioritising innovation over immediate profits.
In today's world, where technology has become essential to daily life, two contrasting trends are emerging. Some tech giants are implementing large-scale layoffs, while others are actively recruiting the top talent of the industry to strengthen their position in the rapidly changing AI (Artificial Intelligence) race. Similarly, Mira Murati, the Albanian-American tech visionary and former OpenAI CEO, widely recognised for her pivotal role in advancing AI, is once again making headlines after rejecting a $1 billion (nearly Rs 8,300 crore) offer from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
The report also noted that Meta extended compensation packages ranging from $200,000 (Rs 16,600) to as high as $1 billion (Rs 8,300 crore) to various team members of her team to join its freshly launched Superintelligence Lab, but all offers were rejected.
Mira Murati, the former CTO of OpenAI, brings over ten years of leadership experience in the tech sector. The 36-year-old Albanian engineer has been instrumental in spearheading product development for groundbreaking AI tools like DALL·E and ChatGPT, as per NDTV Profit. According to DNA, Maruti was born in 1988 in San Francisco, US. While, her parents are of Indian origin but Mira was born and brought up in US.
Before her time at OpenAI, the engineer worked with companies including:
Ultraleap (formerly Leap Motion) Tesla Model X, where she played a key role. Mira Maruti's educational qualification
As per the report, the 36-year-old businesswoman did her Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) in Mechanical Engineering. Later, she worked as a:
Later in November 2023, during a dramatic shake-up at OpenAI, Maruti briefly stepped in as interim CEO following Sam Altman's ouster and was among the senior leaders who raised concerns about his management approach.
Although Altman was reinstated within days, Maruti had to part ways with OpenAI in September 2024 to kick off her new venture.
According to the same report, Maruti was named in Times' 100 Most Influential People in AI in 2024 and was also labelled as one of Fortune 100's Most Powerful Women in Business in 2023.
Maruti, known for spearheading key changes in AI during her tenure as CTO at OpenAI, is once again in the spotlight.
As per India.com, all the members of Maruti's team rejected Mark Zuckerberg's offer; the team at Thinking Machines Lab sees their long-term equity in the startup as significantly more valuable than any immediate payout.
Above all, they prioritise their independence and Mira Murati’s vision over lucrative offers from major tech companies.
According to Money Control, despite Meta offering compensation packages ranging from $200 million to over $1 billion per person, none of the members at the Thinking Machines Lab accepted the offer.
Q. What is the current valuation and funding status of Thinking Machines Lab?
For the latest and more interesting financial news, keep reading Indiatimes Worth. Click here.
The report also noted that Meta extended compensation packages ranging from $200,000 (Rs 16,600) to as high as $1 billion (Rs 8,300 crore) to various team members of her team to join its freshly launched Superintelligence Lab, but all offers were rejected.
Who is Mira Maruti?
Mira Murati, the former CTO of OpenAI, brings over ten years of leadership experience in the tech sector. The 36-year-old Albanian engineer has been instrumental in spearheading product development for groundbreaking AI tools like DALL·E and ChatGPT, as per NDTV Profit. According to DNA, Maruti was born in 1988 in San Francisco, US. While, her parents are of Indian origin but Mira was born and brought up in US.
Before her time at OpenAI, the engineer worked with companies including:
Ultraleap (formerly Leap Motion) Tesla Model X, where she played a key role. Mira Maruti's educational qualification
As per the report, the 36-year-old businesswoman did her Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) in Mechanical Engineering. Later, she worked as a:
Did Mira Maruti work at OpenAI?
Later in November 2023, during a dramatic shake-up at OpenAI, Maruti briefly stepped in as interim CEO following Sam Altman's ouster and was among the senior leaders who raised concerns about his management approach.
Although Altman was reinstated within days, Maruti had to part ways with OpenAI in September 2024 to kick off her new venture.
Mira Maruti
Mira Maruti was among Time's 100 Most Influential People in AI in 2024
According to the same report, Maruti was named in Times' 100 Most Influential People in AI in 2024 and was also labelled as one of Fortune 100's Most Powerful Women in Business in 2023.
Maruti, known for spearheading key changes in AI during her tenure as CTO at OpenAI, is once again in the spotlight.
Why did Maruti reject Meta's $1 billion offer?
As per India.com, all the members of Maruti's team rejected Mark Zuckerberg's offer; the team at Thinking Machines Lab sees their long-term equity in the startup as significantly more valuable than any immediate payout.
Above all, they prioritise their independence and Mira Murati’s vision over lucrative offers from major tech companies.
FAQs
According to Money Control, despite Meta offering compensation packages ranging from $200 million to over $1 billion per person, none of the members at the Thinking Machines Lab accepted the offer.
Q. What is the current valuation and funding status of Thinking Machines Lab?
For the latest and more interesting financial news, keep reading Indiatimes Worth. Click here.