Former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati has launched a new artificial intelligence startup, Thinking Machines Lab, which is reportedly aiming to raise $1 billion at an estimated $9 billion valuation, according to sources familiar with the matter, Business Insider reports.
While the funding round is still ongoing and details may change, the ambitious valuation highlights strong investor interest in AI startups—particularly those led by former OpenAI executives. A spokesperson for Murati declined to comment on the fundraising efforts.
Murati, who spent over six years at OpenAI, played a key role in the development of ChatGPT and other AI initiatives. She briefly served as OpenAI’s interim CEO in November 2023 after Sam Altman was unexpectedly ousted, though she later returned to her CTO role when he was reinstated.
Thinking Machines Lab emerged from stealth mode last week. In a blog post, Murati described the company as an AI research and product lab committed to making AI more accessible, customizable, and widely understood.
“To bridge the gaps, we’re building Thinking Machines Lab to make AI systems more widely understood, customizable, and generally capable,” the post stated.
Murati has assembled a team of AI experts from OpenAI, Meta, and Anthropic. Some notable hires include:
- John Schulman – Co-creator of ChatGPT
- Jonathan Lachman – Former head of special projects at OpenAI
- Barret Zoph – Co-creator of ChatGPT
- Alexander Kirillov – Key contributor to ChatGPT’s voice mode
Murati joins a growing list of former OpenAI executives launching their own AI ventures. Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI’s former chief scientist, founded Safe Superintelligence in 2024, while Dario and Daniela Amodei co-founded Anthropic in 2021.
