Former OpenAI Tech Chief's AI Startup Taps Top Researchers from Competitors

Mira Murati, the former technology chief of OpenAI, has launched her own AI startup, Thinking Machine Labs, and is poaching top researchers from competitors to build a team of AI experts. Murati's new venture aims to create AI systems that are more widely understood, customizable, and generally capable than those currently available. The startup is focusing on building "multimodal" systems that work collaboratively with people and can adapt to the full spectrum of human expertise.



Murati's startup has already hired several high-profile AI researchers and staffers, including OpenAI co-founder John Schulman as chief scientist and Barrett Zoph, OpenAI's former chief research officer, as CTO. The startup has also poached around 10 employees from rivals such as OpenAI, Character AI, and Google DeepMind. This aggressive hiring strategy has raised concerns about potential legal and ethical issues, as well as the impact on the competitors' research and development capabilities.

However, Murati's startup is not the only one benefiting from the talent exodus from OpenAI. Other former OpenAI executives have also launched their own AI startups, such as Ilya Sutskever's Safe Superintelligence and Anthropic. This trend highlights the growing competition in the AI industry and the increasing demand for top talent.

Despite the challenges and risks associated with poaching top researchers from competitors, Murati's startup has the potential to make a significant impact on the AI industry. By focusing on creating AI systems that are more collaborative, customizable, and safe, Thinking Machine Labs could help advance the field of AI and address some of the key gaps in current AI capabilities.

In conclusion, Mira Murati's AI startup, Thinking Machine Labs, is poaching top researchers from competitors to build a team of AI experts and create AI systems that are more widely understood, customizable, and generally capable. While this aggressive hiring strategy may present challenges and risks, the startup has the potential to make a significant impact on the AI industry. As the competition in the AI sector continues to grow, investors and industry stakeholders should keep a close eye on the developments at Thinking Machine Labs and other AI startups founded by former OpenAI executives.