The $10 Billion Enigma of Mira MuratiThe $10 Billion Enigma of Mira MuratiArt by Clark Miller; Getty Images
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The $10 Billion Enigma of Mira Murati

Former OpenAI colleagues flocked to join Murati at Thinking Machines Lab. So did investors. Now she just has to release a product.

By
Stephanie Palazzolo

This summer, Meta Platforms offered multiple researchers at artificial intelligence startup Thinking Machines Lab sizable compensation packages to join its new AI lab. When all of the researchers declined the offers, Thinking Machines CEO Mira Murati sent a flattering news report about Meta’s attempted raid to her staff over Slack.

At the same time, Murati—until a year ago chief technology officer of OpenAI—cautioned Thinking Machines staffers that there was no reason to gloat: She said the positive press was a distraction and the startup hadn’t yet built a product, said two people who saw her message.