Mira Murati, 34, has recently been appointed as the interim CEO of OpenAI. Born in 1988 in Albania, Murati has a background in mechanical engineering and built a hybrid race car while studying at Dartmouth College, according to a New York Times report. Her early career included an internship at Goldman Sachs and a subsequent role at Zodiac Aerospace.

Murati joined OpenAI in 2018 after contributing significantly to the development of the Model X at Tesla. She also worked at Leap Motion, a startup that created a computing system for tracking hand and finger movements. Last year, she was promoted to Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at OpenAI.

OpenAI describes Murati as a pivotal figure in the company’s leadership over the past five years, playing a crucial role in its growth into a global AI leader. Her extensive knowledge of the company’s values, operations, and business, coupled with her leadership in research, product development, and safety functions, makes her a standout leader for OpenAI.

In a memo to the staff, Mira Murati expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to lead the company, a sentiment echoed by those who received it. Her words, reviewed by Bloomberg, conveyed a sense of urgency and responsibility as OpenAI finds itself at a pivotal juncture. “We are now at a crucial juncture where our tools are being widely adopted, developers are actively building on our platforms, and policymakers are deliberating on the best ways to regulate these systems,” she wrote, her tone reflective of the weight of the moment.

Emphasizing the progress made, Murati highlighted the significance of this moment as an opportunity to ensure that AI is developed and utilized for the greater good. Her message resonated throughout the organization, instilling a sense of purpose and determination among the staff as they embarked on this new chapter under her leadership.

During a companywide meeting, Murati reassured OpenAI employees that Satya Nadella and Kevin Scott, CEO and CTO of Microsoft respectively, have “utmost confidence” in OpenAI’s direction. She also announced the start of the search for a new permanent CEO.

OpenAI, founded in 2015, has evolved from a non-profit organization into a unique structure that allows it to raise capital while maintaining its foundational mission of advancing AI for the benefit of humanity.