Mira Murati's startup, is losing two of its co-founders to OpenAI (techcrunch.com)

Mira Murati's startup, Thinking Machines Lab, is experiencing a significant leadership shakeup as two of its co-founders, Barret Zoph and Luke Metz, are returning to OpenAI, along with another former team member, Sam Schoenholz. Murati announced on social media that Zoph has stepped down as CTO, with Soumith Chintala stepping in to take his place. The departure of these co-founders—particularly Zoph, a former VP of research at OpenAI—signals potential turbulence for the young startup, which has garnered considerable financial backing, including a $2 billion seed round last July. This move is significant for the AI/ML community as it highlights the dynamic and often transient nature of talent in the sector, particularly among high-profile teams. The departures could pose challenges for Thinking Machines, which has attracted top researchers from leading companies, as maintaining momentum in a competitive landscape becomes more difficult with turnover at the leadership level. The situation underlines ongoing talent wars in AI, where companies are not only building advanced technologies but also navigating the complexities of team cohesion and strategic direction.