Two co-founders from Thinking Machines Lab, Barret Zoph and Luke Metz, are returning to OpenAI, signaling a significant shift in the AI talent landscape. Zoph, the former CTO of Thinking Machines, and Metz, a co-founder, are rejoining the OpenAI team, along with former OpenAI employee Sam Schoenholz.
Thinking Machines CEO Mira Murati announced Zoph’s departure, welcoming Soumith Chintala as the new CTO. OpenAI CEO Fidji Simo expressed excitement in welcoming back Zoph, Metz, and Schoenholz, stating that the transitions had been in the works for several weeks.
Metz and Schoenholz both have prior experience at OpenAI, while Zoph, previously the VP of research at OpenAI, brings expertise from Google and OpenAI. Murati, the CEO of Thinking Machines and former CTO of OpenAI, co-founded the startup with Zoph and Metz.
Thinking Machines Lab, backed by significant financial support, closed a $2 billion seed round last July, valuing the company at $12 billion. The talent movements between the two AI-focused organizations highlight the competitive nature of the industry, where top professionals play key roles in shaping the future of AI development.
Source: TechCrunch