Mira Murati, the former Chief Technology Officer of OpenAI, has launched a new artificial intelligence startup called Thinking Machines Lab. The company, which debuted on Tuesday, has already attracted top talent from major AI players, including OpenAI, Meta, and Mistral, assembling a team of about 30 researchers and engineers.
According to a blog post by the company, Thinking Machines Lab aims to develop AI systems that encode human values while broadening their applications beyond what existing AI models currently offer.
Murati’s move marks another major departure from OpenAI, further demonstrating her ability to recruit high-calibre talent. Sources told Reuters that nearly two-thirds of the startup’s workforce comprises former OpenAI employees, including Barret Zoph, a leading AI researcher who resigned from OpenAI on the same day as Murati in September. Zoph has now taken on the role of Chief Technology Officer at the new company.
Adding to the powerhouse team is John Schulman, an OpenAI co-founder, who will serve as Chief Scientist at Thinking Machines Lab. Schulman had previously left OpenAI for Anthropic in August, citing his desire to focus on AI alignment—the process of ensuring AI models adhere to ethical and human-centred principles.
With an increasing number of AI startups emerging, Murati’s Thinking Machines Lab aims to differentiate itself by focusing on co-design between research and product teams. The startup has also pledged to contribute to AI alignment research, promising to share code, datasets, and model specifications.
“While current systems excel at programming and mathematics, we’re building AI that can adapt to the full spectrum of human expertise and enable a broader spectrum of applications,” the company stated in its announcement.
The startup is reportedly seeking venture capital funding, according to previous reports from Reuters.
Murati’s exit from OpenAI was one of many high-profile departures in recent months, amid significant structural and governance changes within the organization. Other former OpenAI leaders, including those behind Anthropic and Safe Superintelligence, have launched their own AI ventures, securing billions in funding.
Before joining OpenAI in 2018, Murati worked at Tesla and augmented reality startup Leap Motion. She played a crucial role in the development of ChatGPT and often represented OpenAI publicly alongside CEO Sam Altman.