Mira Murati’s AI startup, Thinking Machines Lab, just gained serious momentum. Two former OpenAI heavyweights—Bob McGrew, OpenAI’s former chief research officer, and Alec Radford, the architect behind some of OpenAI’s most groundbreaking innovations—have joined the venture as advisors.
The startup’s website quietly updated its leadership page in March to reflect the new additions, though no official announcement has been made. A spokesperson for Thinking Machines Lab hasn’t responded to media inquiries.
McGrew played a pivotal role at OpenAI, where he joined the technical team in 2017 and climbed the ranks to become VP of Research in 2018. He eventually became chief research officer before stepping down in September 2024 to take a break.
Meanwhile, Radford left OpenAI in late 2023 to pursue independent research. He is best known as the lead author of the foundational research paper on Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPTs)—the technology powering OpenAI’s flagship products like ChatGPT. His work also spans models like Whisper, OpenAI’s voice recognition system, and DALL-E, its text-to-image generation platform.
These additions signal that Thinking Machines Lab is becoming a magnet for elite AI talent. While the company has kept its roadmap under wraps, it hinted in a February update that it plans to create tools that make AI systems more customizable, understandable, and aligned with real-world needs.
A Strong Team of OpenAI Alumni
Murati, who serves as CEO, is leading the charge after spending six years at OpenAI. She initially joined as VP of Applied AI and Partnerships before being promoted to CTO in 2022. During her tenure, she was instrumental in the development of ChatGPT, DALL-E, and Codex—the AI system that laid the foundation for GitHub Copilot.
The executive team at Thinking Machines Lab features several other OpenAI veterans. John Schulman, a co-founder of OpenAI, is now the chief scientist. Barret Zoph, who previously led model post-training efforts at OpenAI, is taking on the role of CTO.
This leadership roster—now bolstered by McGrew and Radford—highlights how Murati is assembling a dream team of top-tier AI researchers and engineers.
Quiet Ambitions, Big Vision
Despite the high-profile team, Thinking Machines Lab has been intentionally low-key about its product goals. In a rare statement earlier this year, the company said it aims to develop AI tools that adapt to users’ “unique needs and goals.” Its broader mission is to build AI systems that are more accessible, customizable, and broadly capable than existing tools.
Back in late 2024, reports surfaced that Murati was in discussions to raise over $100 million from unnamed VC firms. The startup already includes dozens of ex-staffers from AI giants like OpenAI and Google DeepMind, making it one of the most closely watched stealth ventures in the AI space.
As the AI industry evolves rapidly, all eyes are now on Murati and her team to see whether Thinking Machines Lab can truly reimagine the next generation of intelligent systems.
