Thinking Machines Lab Secures $2B Record Funding, Cofounders Revealed
▼ Summary
– Thinking Machines Lab, founded by ex-OpenAI researchers, raised a record $2 billion seed round, valuing the company at $12 billion.
– The funding round was led by Andreessen Horowitz and included major tech firms like Nvidia and AMD, reflecting intense competition for advanced AI talent.
– The company is led by ex-OpenAI CTO Mira Murati and a team of prominent AI researchers, marking their first public confirmation of the founding team.
– Murati announced the company is developing multimodal AI for human interaction and plans to release its first product soon, including open-source components for researchers.
– The AI industry has seen heightened drama and competition, with Meta recruiting top researchers and speculation about firms nearing superhuman-level AI.
Thinking Machines Lab, a cutting-edge artificial intelligence startup founded by former OpenAI researchers, has shattered records by securing a staggering $2 billion in seed funding, catapulting its valuation to $12 billion. The unprecedented investment underscores the fierce competition to dominate next-generation AI technologies and the immense value placed on elite talent in the field.
Leading the funding round was Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from tech giants like Nvidia, Accel, Cisco, and AMD. This historic raise marks the largest seed investment ever recorded, highlighting the soaring demand for breakthroughs in AI.
At the helm of Thinking Machines is CEO Mira Murati, who previously served as OpenAI’s chief technology officer before departing last September. The founding team boasts an all-star lineup of AI veterans: John Schulman, a key architect behind ChatGPT; Barrett Zoph, former OpenAI research VP; Lilian Weng, an expert in AI safety and robotics; Andrew Tulloch, specializing in pretraining and reasoning; and Luke Metz, who focused on post-training at OpenAI. The company confirmed these appointments publicly for the first time this week.
In a recent social media post, Murati revealed that Thinking Machines is developing multimodal AI systems capable of interacting with humans through speech, vision, and collaborative problem-solving. She hinted at an upcoming product launch within months, emphasizing that it will feature a substantial open-source component, making it valuable for researchers and startups building specialized models. The company also plans to share research insights to advance the broader AI community’s understanding of frontier technologies.
The AI industry has transformed dramatically in recent years, evolving from niche academic pursuit to a high-stakes battleground for talent and innovation. Speculation about companies like OpenAI nearing artificial general intelligence (AGI) has only intensified the frenzy. While Thinking Machines has remained tight-lipped about its long-term ambitions, its rapid rise signals a formidable new player in the space.
Meanwhile, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has aggressively recruited top AI minds for his own superintelligence lab, offering multimillion-dollar compensation packages. Several OpenAI researchers have already joined Meta’s initiative, raising questions about whether Thinking Machines’ founders received similar overtures. The company declined to comment on potential recruitment efforts, but given the team’s pedigree, industry interest is almost certain.
With its record-breaking funding and all-star roster, Thinking Machines Lab is poised to make waves in AI, whether through groundbreaking research, disruptive products, or both. The coming months will reveal just how far this ambitious startup can push the boundaries of artificial intelligence.
(Source: Wired)
