Overview
- CEO Mira Murati said the company has parted ways with co-founder and CTO Barret Zoph and appointed Soumith Chintala to the role.
- About an hour later, OpenAI’s Fidji Simo announced that Zoph, fellow co-founder Luke Metz, and former staffer Sam Schoenholz are rejoining OpenAI.
- An OpenAI memo reported that Zoph told Murati on Monday he was considering leaving and that he was fired on Wednesday, while noting OpenAI does not share Murati’s concerns.
- A reporter and an unnamed source alleged Zoph was dismissed for “unethical conduct,” including sharing confidential information, a claim not independently verified.
- Thinking Machines, valued at $12 billion after a $2 billion seed round, has faced earlier departures, and the swift CTO handover signals a move to stabilize technical leadership.