OpenAI Draws Founders Back as Murati Lab Struggles to Hold Talent

OpenAI’s gravitational pull on top AI talent is proving hard to escape.  Three founding members of Thinking Machines Lab, the AI startup led by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, have exited the company and returned to OpenAI, highlighting how fierce, and unforgiving, the competition for senior AI leadership has become.

The departures come even as Murati appointed Soumith Chintala, an Indian technologist and long-time AI researcher, as the startup’s new Chief Technology Officer, signalling an attempt to stabilise leadership amid mounting pressure.

A Startup Loses Founders Before Shipping a Product

Thinking Machines Lab, which has yet to publicly launch a product or prototype, confirmed the exit of Barret Zoph, its co-founder and CTO. Zoph’s departure follows an earlier co-founder exit in October, when Andrew Tulloch joined Meta after the social media giant attempted to acquire the startup and recruit its team.

What became clear soon after was that Zoph was not alone. Two other founding members, Luke Metz and Sam Schoenholz, also left Thinking Machines Lab on the same day.

All three have now rejoined OpenAI.

In a post on X, Fidji Simo, CEO of Applications, OpenAI, wrote, “Excited to welcome Barret Zoph, Luke Metz, and Sam Schoenholz back to OpenAI! This has been in the works for several weeks, and we're thrilled to have them join the team.”

Zoph will report to Simo, while Metz and Schoenholz will report to Zoph.

Leadership Reset With a New CTO

Following Zoph’s exit, Murati named Soumith Chintala as CTO, elevating him from his role as a Member of Technical Staff. Chintala brings more than a decade of experience in AI research and engineering.

Announcing the move, Murati said, “He is a brilliant and seasoned leader who has made important contributions to the AI field for over a decade, and he's been a major contributor to our team. We could not be more excited to have him take on this new responsibility.”

The appointment signals continuity at a technical level, but it also underscores the challenge of retaining senior AI leadership when competitors are willing to move aggressively.

Unverified Claims Add To Uncertainty

Complicating matters further, independent journalist Kylie Robison claimed, X: citing unnamed sources, that Zoph was fired due to alleged unethical conduct. Neither Thinking Machines Lab nor Zoph has publicly confirmed the allegation.

While unverified, the claims add to the uncertainty surrounding a company that has already lost four founding members within three months, despite having fewer than 50 employees.

The Bigger Picture: OpenAI’s Talent Advantage

The episode highlights a broader industry reality: OpenAI remains one of the strongest talent magnets in AI, even as former leaders spin out startups with significant backing and visibility.

Silicon Valley’s AI talent war has intensified, with companies like Meta actively pursuing entire teams. Yet, in this case, OpenAI appears to have reversed the flow, pulling experienced researchers back into its ranks while reinforcing its applications leadership.

For Thinking Machines Lab, the challenge now is execution. With no product in the market and continued leadership churn, the startup must prove it can translate vision into delivery, fast.

For OpenAI, the message is clear: when it comes to elite AI talent, the centre of gravity still tilts in its favour.