Mira Murati's Thinking Machines Lab Raises $2B at $10B Valuation

Thinking Machines Lab Secures $2 Billion Seed Funding

Thinking Machines Lab, a newly established AI startup created by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, has successfully completed a $2 billion seed funding round. This information was reported by The Financial Times.

The valuation of the 6-month-old company has been set at $10 billion following this investment.

Details of the Funding Round

The precise nature of the company’s operations remains undisclosed. However, Thinking Machines Lab has effectively utilized Murati’s established standing and the expertise of other prominent AI researchers to garner significant investor interest.

This funding round is potentially the largest seed round ever recorded. Andreessen Horowitz spearheaded the investment, with additional participation from Conviction Partners, led by Sarah Guo.

Leadership and Origins

Murati departed from OpenAI in September of the previous year. Her departure followed her leadership role in the creation of key AI products such as ChatGPT, DALL-E, and the voice functionality.

Several former colleagues from OpenAI have since joined Murati at her new venture, notably including co-founder John Schulman.

Context of Murati’s Departure from OpenAI

Murati was among a small group of executives who left OpenAI following expressed concerns regarding the leadership of CEO Sam Altman in 2023.

Following the board’s decision to remove Altman in November of that year, Murati briefly assumed the position of interim CEO before Altman’s swift reinstatement.

The circumstances surrounding Altman’s removal and subsequent return underscore a period of internal deliberation within OpenAI.