Thinking Machines Lab Inc. is an American artificial intelligence (AI) startup led by Mira Murati, the former chief technology officer of OpenAI.[1] The company was founded in February 2025, and by May it was reported that it "could be valued at $10 billion [...] making it one of the most valuable AI startups in the world".[2][3] The company is based in San Francisco and structured as a public benefit corporation.[4][5]
The company aims "to make AI systems more widely understood, customizable, and generally capable", with an emphasis on collective research culture, human-AI collaboration, model intelligence, and research and product co-design.[3][6][7]
History
[edit]By its launch in February 2025, Thinking Machines Lab was reported to have hired about 30 researchers and engineers from competitors including OpenAI, Meta AI, and Mistral AI.[8][9][10][11][12] Its founding team members include OpenAI cofounder John Schulman, who joined after a brief stint at the lab's competitor Anthropic.[13][14] Other former OpenAI employees who have been hired include Jonathan Lachman and Barret Zoph.[7] Thinking Machines Lab's advisers include Bob McGrew, previously OpenAI’s chief research officer, and Alec Radford, who was a lead researcher on many of OpenAI's flagship models.[2][15]
Business structure
[edit]Thinking Machines Lab follows a governance structure wherein Mira Murati holds a deciding vote on board matters, weighted to provide her with a majority decision-making capability. Additionally, founding shareholders possess votes weighted 100 times greater than those of regular shareholders, ensuring strong founding influence on the strategic direction of the lab.[16]
In April 2025, Andreessen Horowitz was reported to lead Thinking Machines Lab's seed round of $2 billion, which "would value the company at 'at least' $10 billion".[2][17] The government of Albania (Murati's country of origin) was also included in this round, an investment which required an amendment to the country's 2025 budget.[18]
References
[edit]- ^ Wiggers, Kyle (2025-02-18). "Thinking Machines Lab is ex-OpenAI CTO Mira Murati's new startup". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ a b c Tong, Anna; Hu, Krystal; Tong, Anna; Hu, Krystal (2025-04-11). "A16z eyes leading mega round in former OpenAI CTO's startup Thinking Machines, sources say". Reuters. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ a b Bergman, Ben. "Want to invest in Mira Murati's new AI startup? You'll have to pony up at least $50 million". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-05-25.
- ^ Bernard, Chris (2025-02-18). "Sam Altman's Former CTO Launches OpenAI Competitor, Thinking Machine Labs". eWeek. ISSN 1530-6283. Retrieved 2025-06-06.
- ^ Levy, Steven. "Mira Murati Is Ready to Tell the World What She's Working On". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2025-06-06.
- ^ "Thinking Machines Lab". thinkingmachines.ai. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ a b Criddle, Cristina (2025-02-18). "Former OpenAI technology chief Mira Murati launches rival start-up". Financial Times. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
- ^ Bajwa, Arsheeya; Hu, Krystal; Tong, Anna; Hu, Krystal; Tong, Anna (2025-02-19). "Mira Murati's new AI startup poaches 20 OpenAI researchers". Reuters. Retrieved 2025-02-19.
- ^ Eaton, Kit (2025-01-17). "OpenAI's Ex-CTO Raids Rivals for Top Team at Her Startup". Inc. Archived from the original on 2025-01-22. Retrieved 2025-01-28.
- ^ Palazzolo, Stephanie; Efrati, Amir (2025-01-29). "OpenAI Tightens Grip on High End of App Market; Murati's Startup Gets a Name [Paywalled]". The Information. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
- ^ Schiffer, Zoë. "Mira Murati's AI Startup Makes First Hires, Including Former OpenAI Executive". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2025-01-28.
- ^ Wiggers, Kyle (2025-02-18). "Thinking Machines Lab is ex-OpenAI CTO Mira Murati's new startup". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-03-23.
- ^ "OpenAI Co-Founder John Schulman Joins Mira Murati's Startup". The Information. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ Wiggers, Kyle (2024-08-06). "OpenAI co-founder Schulman leaves for Anthropic, Brockman takes extended leave". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ Wiggers, Kyle (2025-04-08). "Mira Murati's AI startup gains prominent ex-OpenAI advisers". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
- ^ "Thinking Machines Lab CEO Has Unusual Control in Andreessen-Led Deal". The Information. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ Wiggers, Kyle (2025-04-10). "Mira Murati's AI startup is reportedly aiming for a massive $2B seed round". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-04-12.
- ^ Saliu, Klara (2025-05-01). "Albania Enters Global AI Market; Government Invests $10 Million in "Machine Thinking Lab" Led by Albanian-American Mira Murati". RTSH English. Retrieved 2025-05-21.