Alec Radford, a prominent researcher at OpenAI and the lead author of the original GPT paper, is leaving the organization to pursue independent research. Radford has been instrumental in developing several key technologies, including Whisper and Dall-E. His departure marks a significant shift within OpenAI, as many researchers from the pre-ChatGPT era have also exited the company. This trend raises questions about the future direction of OpenAI, especially as it continues to navigate a rapidly evolving AI landscape.