Thinking Machines Cofounder's Office Relationship Preceded His Termination

"Leaders at Mira Murati's Thinking Machines Lab confronted the startup's cofounder and former CTO, Barret Zoph, over an alleged relationship with another employee last summer, WIRED has learned. That relationship was likely the alleged "misconduct" that has been mentioned in prior reporting, including by WIRED. To protect the privacy of the individuals involved, WIRED is not naming the employee in question. The individual, who worked in a different department than Zoph and was in a leadership role, is no longer at the lab."

"The cofounders' working relationship broke down in the months following that conversation, according to multiple sources, and Zoph started speaking to competitors about other opportunities. Before Zoph left the company, he was in conversation with leaders from Meta Superintelligence Labs, according to a source familiar with the matter. Zoph was ultimately hired by OpenAI. OpenAI's CEO of applications, Fidji Simo, said the hiring had been in the works for weeks."

"Simo also noted that she did not share Thinking Machines' concerns over Zoph's ethics. Zoph and OpenAI declined to comment for this story. This week, a third Thinking Machines cofounder, Luke Metz, and at least three other researchers from Murati's startup also departed for OpenAI. In October, the startup's cofounder Andrew Tulloch left for Meta. While tensions between Murati and Zoph came to a head in recent days, they do not entirely explain the broader exodus of Thinking Machines employees."

Mira Murati confronted cofounder and former CTO Barret Zoph last summer about an alleged relationship with another employee. The employee worked in a different department, held a leadership role, and is no longer at the lab. The confrontation precipitated a breakdown in the cofounders' working relationship and led Zoph to speak with competitors. Zoph engaged in conversations with Meta Superintelligence Labs before ultimately being hired by OpenAI; OpenAI's applications CEO Fidji Simo said the hiring had been in the works for weeks and that she did not share Thinking Machines' ethical concerns. Several other cofounders and researchers have since left for OpenAI or Meta. The startup also faced internal misalignment over product direction and sought fundraising targeting a $50 billion valuation, up from $12 billion.

Read at WIRED