Former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati Raises $2B Seed Round for Thinking Machines Lab at $12B Valuation
Thinking Machines Lab, founded by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, has closed a $2 billion seed round at a $12 billion valuation, led by Andreessen Horowitz with participation from NVIDIA, Accel, and others. The startup, less than a year old, plans to unveil its first product in the coming months with a "significant open source offering" aimed at researchers and startups building custom AI models. The company has attracted several former OpenAI employees and is positioning itself as a competitor to leading AI labs like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind.
Skynet Chance (+0.04%): The creation of another well-funded AI lab with frontier model capabilities increases competition and potentially reduces centralized control over advanced AI development. However, the emphasis on open source offerings could democratize access to powerful AI systems, creating both oversight benefits and proliferation risks.
Skynet Date (-1 days): The massive funding and talent acquisition from OpenAI accelerates the overall pace of frontier AI development by creating another major competitor. The $12B valuation and backing from major tech companies suggests rapid scaling of AI capabilities research.
AGI Progress (+0.03%): The establishment of another major AI lab with $2B in funding and top-tier talent from OpenAI significantly increases the resources and competition driving AGI research forward. The company's focus on frontier AI models and attraction of key OpenAI researchers suggests serious AGI ambitions.
AGI Date (-1 days): The massive funding round and high-profile talent acquisition accelerates the timeline toward AGI by intensifying competition and increasing total resources dedicated to frontier AI research. Multiple well-funded labs racing toward AGI typically shortens development timelines through parallel research efforts.