Sam Altman, the high-profile chief executive of OpenAI, who became the face of the tech industry’s artificial intelligence boom, has been pushed out of the company by its board of directors, OpenAI said in a blog post on Friday afternoon.

Mira Murati, who previously served as the company’s chief technology officer, has been named interim chief executive officer, the company said.

“Mr. Altman’s departure follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities,” the company said. “The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.”

The move is a stunning fall for Mr. Altman, 38, who over the last year had become one of the tech industry’s most prominent executives as well as one of its most fascinating characters. Last fall, OpenAI launched an industrywide A.I. frenzy when it released the online chatbot ChatGPT.

is in talks to close a new funding round that would value the company at more than $80 billion — nearly triple its valuation less than a year ago — and it is unclear what Mr. Altman’s departure will mean for those talks.statement that the company’s long-term agreement with OpenAI provided Microsoft “full access to everything we need to deliver on our innovation agenda and an exciting product road map.” He added that the company remained committed “to our partnership, and to Mira and the team.”

Microsoft’s stock price fell more than 1 percent in the last 30 minutes of trading, after Mr. Altman’s departure was announced.

In a message to OpenAI employees viewed by The New York Times, Ms. Murati said that she had talked with Mr. Nadella and Microsoft’s chief technology officer, Kevin Scott, on Friday and that they remained supportive of OpenAI.

“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. “It’s more important than ever that we stay focused, driven, and true to our core values.”

Cade Metz is a technology reporter and the author of “Genius Makers: The Mavericks Who Brought A.I. to Google, Facebook, and The World.” He covers artificial intelligence, driverless cars, robotics, virtual reality and other emerging areas. More about Cade MetzA version of this article appears in print on  , Section B, Page 3 of the New York edition with the headline: OpenAI’s Board of Directors Pushes Out Its High-Profile C.E.O.. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe25

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