Thinking Machines Lab loses three co-founders to OpenAI

On Wednesday, artificial intelligence startup Thinking Machines Lab announced a major change to its executive leadership. Mira Murati, the company’s CEO, announced that the company has parted ways with co-founder and CTO Barret Zoph. Just 58 minutes after Murati’s announcement, Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of applications, announced that Zoph, along with co-founders Luke Metz and Sam Schoenholz, would be returning to OpenAI. Simo stated, “Excited to welcome Barret Zoph, Luke Metz, and Sam Schoenholz back to OpenAI! This has been in the works for several weeks, and we’re thrilled to have them join the team”. Zoph, who previously spent six years at Google as a research scientist, had co-founded Thinking Machines Lab alongside Murati and Metz after Murati left her role as OpenAI’s CTO in September 2024. Both Metz and Schoenholz also previously worked on the technical staff at OpenAI before joining Murati’s startup.

To fill the sudden vacancy, Murati announced that Soumith Chintala will take over as the new CTO of Thinking Machines Lab. Murati noted that Chintala has been a major contributor to the startup’s team and has made contributions to the artificial intelligence field for over a decade. This leadership transition comes as the company manages a massive capital influx from its early-stage financing. Thinking Machines Lab closed a seed round last July with the following financial details:

• Seed round funding: $2 billion
• Company valuation: $12 billion

While talent movement is common in Silicon Valley, the simultaneous loss of multiple co-founders represents a significant challenge. According to Wired, the split between Zoph and Thinking Labs wasn’t amicable. The loss of two co-founders simultaneously could be perceived as a particularly meaningful setback for Thinking Machines Lab, which launched in February of last year. The startup has also experienced other key personnel departures since its inception. Former co-founder Andrew Tulloch left the company in October. Additionally, former co-founder John Schulman, who left OpenAI for Anthropic in August 2024, had joined Thinking Machines Lab as chief scientist at its launch in February of last year.

Why it matters

The simultaneous departure of multiple co-founders from a startup less than a year after its founding represents a notable operational challenge. The loss of two co-founders simultaneously, especially when one served as CTO, could be perceived as a particularly meaningful setback for Thinking Machines Lab as it establishes its technical direction.