Mira Murati's New AI Lab Lands a Whopping $2 Billion to Take on the Giants

Mira Murati's New AI Lab Lands a Whopping $2 Billion to Take on the Giants

So, picture this: you’re sitting in a café, sipping your favorite brew, and the news hits like a bolt of lightning—Mira Murati, the former Chief Technology Officer at OpenAI, just snagged a jaw-dropping $2 billion in seed funding for her new venture, Thinking Machines Lab. Yeah, you heard that right! This isn’t just pocket change; it’s a record-setting amount that’s got the entire AI industry buzzing.

Now, let’s break this down a bit. The funding round was led by none other than Andreessen Horowitz, a big player in the venture capital world. They’ve slapped a $10 billion valuation on Murati’s startup, which is pretty wild. It’s like saying, “Hey, we believe in you so much, we’re willing to bet big!” This kind of backing puts Thinking Machines Lab in the big leagues, ready to go toe-to-toe with the likes of OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind.

Murati’s exit from OpenAI back in September 2024 was a huge deal, especially since she played a key role in developing groundbreaking models like ChatGPT and DALL-E. Imagine being at the helm of such innovative projects and then deciding to branch out on your own. That takes guts! Her new company, which kicked off in February 2025, has a pretty ambitious goal: to create what she calls "collaborative general intelligence."

Here’s the kicker: instead of racing towards fully autonomous AI systems, Murati’s vision is all about creating AI that works alongside humans. Think of it like having a super-smart assistant who can help you tackle complex problems in fields like science and engineering. It’s not just about making machines that can think for themselves; it’s about making them transparent and customizable.

But wait, there’s more! Thinking Machines Lab is set up as a public benefit corporation, which means they’re committed to developing AI that’s not just for profit but also accessible and beneficial for everyone. It’s kinda like saying, “We’re in this for the greater good.”

Now, let’s talk about that massive funding round. It wasn’t just a casual gathering of investors; it was oversubscribed, meaning there was so much interest that they had to turn some folks away. Investors had to pony up at least $50 million to get a seat at the table. Big names like Nvidia, Accel, and even the government of Albania, which chipped in $10 million, were all in on this.

So, where’s all this cash going? Well, it’s gonna help secure the computational resources needed to build cutting-edge AI models, attract top talent, and set up secure research facilities. Just think about it: the sheer size of this investment in a company that hasn’t even released a product yet shows how hungry investors are for the next big thing in AI.

Speaking of talent, Murati’s managed to assemble what some are calling an “AI royalty” at Thinking Machines Lab. She’s brought in a stellar team, including John Schulman, an OpenAI co-founder, who’s stepping in as Chief Scientist, and Barret Zoph, the former VP of research at OpenAI, who’s now the CTO. It’s like a reunion of the best minds in AI, and they’re all rallying behind Murati’s vision.

While the specifics of their first product are still under wraps, they’ve hinted at developing multimodal systems that can interact with humans through conversation and sight. Imagine an AI that can not only chat with you but also understand visual cues—pretty cool, right? Plus, they’re planning to incorporate a significant open-source component, which is all about empowering other researchers and startups to build their own models.

In line with their public benefit mission, Thinking Machines Lab is also committed to transparency. They’re planning to regularly publish technical papers, blog posts, and code to help everyone understand how their advanced AI systems work. It’s like saying, “Hey, we’re not just building this in a secret lab; we want you to see how it’s done.”

So, here’s the thing: with a focus on collaborative intelligence and open science, Thinking Machines Lab is setting itself apart in a competitive and often secretive industry. It’s not just about being the fastest or the smartest; it’s about creating AI that can genuinely work with people to make a difference. And who knows? This could be the start of something truly groundbreaking in the world of artificial intelligence!