The Mira Murati AI startup, Thinking Machines Lab, has closed a record-breaking $2 billion seed round at a $10 billion valuation, just six months after its launch. The ultra-secretive firm, founded by the former OpenAI CTO, is quickly becoming one of the most-watched names in artificial intelligence.
Thinking Machines Lab Secures Massive Investment
The Financial Times reports that Andreessen Horowitz led the massive round, with backing from Sarah Guo’s Conviction Partners. Despite the company’s stealth mode, the funding marks one of the largest seed rounds in tech history, highlighting investor confidence in Murati’s leadership and her high-profile team of AI veterans.
Murati played a central role in developing OpenAI’s ChatGPT, DALL·E, and voice assistant features. Her exit from OpenAI in late 2023 followed concerns about CEO Sam Altman’s leadership. She briefly served as interim CEO during the boardroom turmoil that temporarily ousted Altman before his swift reinstatement.
Ex-OpenAI Talent Follows Murati
Murati isn’t building alone. John Schulman, OpenAI co-founder and another key figure in the development of advanced AI systems, is among several former colleagues who have joined the new venture. This migration of top talent suggests that Thinking Machines Lab could rival OpenAI in innovation and research intensity.
What Is Thinking Machines Lab Building?
While the company has yet to publicly disclose its products, its mission appears focused on next-generation artificial intelligence systems. With Murati’s expertise in multimodal AI and real-world deployment, many expect breakthroughs in intelligent agents, AI infrastructure, or foundational model alternatives.
Industry insiders suggest the company’s ambition could rival existing leaders like Anthropic, Cohere, and Mistral, all of which are racing to define the future of AI in a post-GPT world.
The Stakes for the AI Ecosystem
Murati’s departure from OpenAI was part of a broader wave of leadership changes and philosophical disagreements over AI safety, openness, and corporate governance. Her new firm is emerging as a beacon for researchers and investors seeking an alternative path in AI development—one that may offer greater transparency, security, or technical robustness.
As competition intensifies, this $2B raise signals that venture capital is still deeply committed to frontier AI—despite regulatory uncertainties and rising global concerns about AI misuse.
For more on emerging AI startups and leadership shifts in the tech world, see our deep-dive on OpenAI’s 2023 boardroom crisis.
