Thinking Machines Lab, a secretive AI startup founded by OpenAI’s chief technology officer Mira Murati and just six months old, has closed a $2 billion seed funding round. This investment values the company at $10 billion.
Although the startup’s specific activities remain undisclosed, Murati’s reputation and that of other prominent AI researchers have generated significant interest and played a key role in attracting investors. According to sources cited by the Financial Times, Andreessen Horowitz led the funding round, with participation from Sarah Guo’s Conviction Partners.
Mira Murati left OpenAI last September. She led the development of some of the company’s most well-known AI products, including ChatGPT, DALL-E, and the voice mode. Several of her former colleagues, including co-founder John Schulman, have joined the new startup.
Murati is among a small group of senior executives who left OpenAI in 2023 due to concerns about CEO Sam Altman’s leadership. When the board temporarily ousted Altman in November of that year, Murati served as interim CEO before Altman was quickly reinstated.
