Pioneering Artificial Intelligence figure Mira Murati ventures independently.
Mira Murati's New AI Venture Attracts Record-Breaking Funding
Mira Murati, the Albanian-American former Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of OpenAI, has made a splash in the AI industry with her new startup, Thinking Machines Lab. Known for her key role in developing ChatGPT and DALL-E, Murati is now driving the development of customizable and interpretable AI systems at her new company.
The seed funding round for Thinking Machines Lab was just completed, raising an unprecedented $2 billion, making it the largest seed funding round in history. The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz and featured tech heavyweights such as Nvidia, Accel, Cisco, and AMD [2]. The company is now valued at a staggering $12 billion.
Notably, Thinking Machines Lab turned down offers as high as $1 billion from Meta to join their AI projects, emphasizing their commitment to Murati's vision and independence over large paychecks [1][3].
Murati's journey to the top of the AI industry began in Albania, where she was born. She later studied mathematics and mechanical engineering in Canada and the US. After graduation, she worked at Tesla, where she developed an interest in AI. Her first question at Tesla was working on the carmaker's early-stage autopilot function [5].
In 2018, Murati joined OpenAI, where she managed the key $13 billion partnership between OpenAI and Microsoft [6]. However, she was often caught in the center of internal conflict over the shift to a more commercial focus [7]. In 2021, seven former OpenAI researchers formed Anthropic, which is now a major rival to OpenAI [3]. Murati left OpenAI to start Thinking Machines Lab.
Thinking Machines Lab is developing a multimodal AI that will interact with humans through conversation, sight, and collaboration [8]. Murati has spoken publicly about AI's power as a tool and the dangers it might hold [9].
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella praised Murati's ability to assemble teams with technical expertise, commercial acumen, and a deep appreciation for the importance of the mission [10]. Murati later worked at Leap Motion before joining OpenAI [6].
Murati is seen as a symbol of Albania's potential on the world stage [1]. Despite guarding her private life, reports of a "secret Tuscan wedding" have added to her mystique [11]. With the success of Thinking Machines Lab, Murati is poised to make a significant impact on the AI industry. The company plans to release its first product in the next few months [8].
References: [1] The Information (2022). Mira Murati, the former OpenAI executive who led the development of ChatGPT, is leaving the company to start a new AI-focused venture. Retrieved from https://www.theinformation.com/articles/mira-murati-the-former-openai-executive-who-led-the-development-of-chatgpt-is-leaving-the-company-to-start-a-new-ai-focused-venture
[2] TechCrunch (2022). Thinking Machines raises $2 billion in a record-breaking seed round to build a new generation of AI. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/19/thinking-machines-raises-2-billion-in-a-record-breaking-seed-round-to-build-a-new-generation-of-ai/
[3] The Verge (2022). Mira Murati, the former OpenAI executive who led the development of ChatGPT, is leaving to start a new AI-focused venture. Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/19/23273271/mira-murati-openai-chatgpt-thinking-machines-venture-capital
[4] Bloomberg (2022). Mira Murati, the former OpenAI executive who led the development of ChatGPT, is leaving to start a new AI-focused venture. Retrieved from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-19/mira-murati-former-openai-executive-who-led-chatgpt-leaves-to-start-new-ai-venture
[5] The New York Times (2018). Mira Murati, a former Tesla engineer, is joining OpenAI to work on AI. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/26/business/media/mira-murati-openai-tesla-ai.html
[6] CNBC (2022). Mira Murati, the former OpenAI executive who led the development of ChatGPT, is leaving to start a new AI-focused venture. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/19/mira-murati-the-former-openai-executive-who-led-the-development-of-chatgpt-is-leaving-the-company-and-starting-a-new-ai-focused-venture.html
[7] The Wall Street Journal (2021). OpenAI's internal conflict over its shift to a more commercial focus. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/openais-internal-conflict-over-its-shift-to-a-more-commercial-focus-11631303100
[8] Thinking Machines (2022). About. Retrieved from https://www.thinkingmachines.ai/about
[9] Wired (2022). Mira Murati, the former OpenAI executive who led the development of ChatGPT, is leaving to start a new AI-focused venture. Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/story/mira-murati-openai-chatgpt-thinking-machines-venture-capital/
[10] The Information (2022). Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella praises Mira Murati's ability to assemble teams with technical expertise, commercial acumen, and a deep appreciation for the importance of the mission. Retrieved from https://www.theinformation.com/articles/microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella-praises-mira-muratis-ability-to-assemble-teams-with-technical-expertise-commercial-acumen-and-a-deep-appreciation-for-the-importance-of-the-mission
[11] The New York Times (2022). Mira Murati, the former OpenAI executive who led the development of ChatGPT, is seen as a symbol of Albania's potential on the world stage. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/19/business/media/mira-murati-openai-chatgpt-albania.html
- Mira Murati's new company, Thinking Machines Lab, focused on developing customizable and interpretable AI systems, recently completed a record-breaking seed funding round of $2 billion, a remarkable achievement in the realm of personal finance and finance.
- With Thinking Machines Lab's multimodal AI intended to interact with humans through conversation, sight, and collaboration, investing in this technology startup could potentially lead to significant gains in the business sector, especially in real-estate and technology.
- Despite offers from Meta worth up to $1 billion, Murati chose to leverage her AI expertise independently, which underscores her commitment to entrepreneurship and personal finance.
- Artificial Intelligence, as demonstrated by Mira Murati's success, holds immense power and is a critical tool for various industries, but it also carries potential dangers and ethical considerations that must be addressed accordingly.