OpenAI’s CFO is trying to convince its investors to keep calm and carry on

• OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar sent an email to investors the day after three top executives abruptly left, according to CNBC.
• Friar sought to calm investors’ worries, saying the firm is still “laser-focused” on AI that can bring them profits.
• OpenAI has sought a $150 billion valuation, and Friar said the first round of investment is oversubscribed.

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar is trying to reassure investors that the company is still in good hands despite the sudden departure of three top executives, according to an email reported by CNBC.

The outlet’s Kate Rooney cited an email from Friar to OpenAI investors late Thursday, a day after the firm saw the departure of its chief technology officer, Mira Murati.

Two other leaders, vice president of research for post training Barret Zoph and chief research officer Bob McGrew, are also leaving.

Friar’s email addressed their exits directly, saying that even after the change, OpenAI still has a “talented leadership bench.”

“While leadership changes are never easy, I want to make sure you have the full context,” she wrote, per CNBC.

She also told them that the promise of their return was still sealed.

“Collectively, we remain focused on bringing AI to everyone and building sustainable revenue models that power our operations and deliver value to our investors and employees,” she wrote.

Friar herself is a relative newcomer, having joined the company in June after running Nextdoor.

OpenAI has been trying to raise a valuation of more than $150 billion. Friar wrote in his email that his current $6.5 billion funding round appears poised to close by next week amid oversubscribed demand.

Bloomberg reported in August that Friar, in a separate memo, told employees that the funds raised would be used for computing power and operating costs.

The startup also reportedly has plans to divest its nonprofit board of directors and restructure into a for-profit benefit corporation.

Word of such a monumental shift, along with an influx of investor funds, has raised concerns about how closely OpenAI is now sticking to its original vision of building generational artificial intelligence — touted as humanity’s next giant step in technology — for the benefit of all.

When Business Insider spoke to several experienced investors in the wake of OpenAI’s departures, some noted that the company seemed to be continually plagued by messy internal changes. Perhaps the most infamous of these episodes was when its board ousted CEO Sam Altman in November, only for him to return days later.

However, others told BI that given OpenAI’s potential to fundamentally change the way people use technology, the recent turbulence may not matter in the long run.

Murati, McGrew and Zoph left OpenAI just a month after other top leaders quit the company in August.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.