In a historic move for Silicon Valley, Mira Murati, former Chief Technology Officer of OpenAI, has secured a staggering $2 billion in seed funding for her new venture, Thinking Machines Lab. This round, one of the largest of its kind, values the startup at an impressive $12 billion, despite having no product or revenue to date. The news, discussed in a recent TechCrunch podcast, highlights the intense hype surrounding AI innovation and the chaos of such massive early-stage investments.
Thinking Machines Lab, founded in February 2025, aims to push the boundaries of artificial intelligence, with a focus on multimodal AI that aligns with natural human interaction. Backed by heavyweights like a16z and NVIDIA, the startup has already assembled a 30-person team, many of whom are ex-OpenAI employees. This talent migration underscores a broader trend of brain drain at OpenAI, which has recently lost key figures amid its own internal challenges.
The scale of this seed round has sparked debates about the sustainability of AI hype, with some industry observers questioning whether such valuations are justified for pre-revenue companies. Murati’s exit from OpenAI, followed by this unprecedented raise, also raises eyebrows about the competitive dynamics in the frontier AI space. Meanwhile, OpenAI faces its own struggles, including a reported $5 billion annual loss and a desperate push for additional funding.
Adding to the chaos, other OpenAI co-founders like Ilya Sutskever have also ventured into new projects, with Sutskever’s startup reportedly raising significant capital for artificial general intelligence (AGI) research. The rapid movement of talent and money in the AI sector paints a picture of both opportunity and instability, as startups race to define the future of technology.
The TechCrunch podcast also touched on related industry developments, such as xAI drama and Uber’s robotaxi ambitions, reflecting the broader turbulence in tech innovation. For Thinking Machines Lab, the $2 billion war chest offers a unique chance to challenge established players, but the pressure to deliver groundbreaking results will be immense in this high-stakes environment.
As the AI race heats up, all eyes are on Murati and her team to see if Thinking Machines Lab can justify its valuation and carve out a leadership position. The built-in chaos of such a massive seed round may either fuel innovation or expose the risks of unchecked optimism in the tech world.
Maria Lourdes
