Latest news with #ThinkingMachinesLab
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Mira Murati education qualifications: How UWC roots and Dartmouth training shaped the visionary behind ChatGPT and Sora
Mira Murati, founder, Thinking Machines Lab When Mira Murati boarded a flight from Albania to Canada at the age of 16, she wasn't just leaving behind her home country, but she was stepping into a world of possibility. Armed with a scholarship to Pearson College UWC in British Columbia, she joined a community of students from across the globe who were taught not just to excel academically, but to think critically about the world they would soon shape. Two decades later, Murati is doing just that, shaping the world through artificial intelligence. As the former Chief Technology Officer of OpenAI , she helped lead the development of ChatGPT, DALL·E, Codex, and Sora, some of the most transformative AI tools of our time. Today, she's the founder of Thinking Machines Lab, a $12 billion AI startup that's already being called one of the most ambitious new ventures in tech. But behind that staggering resume lies a lesser-known story; one of carefully built educational choices, driven curiosity, and a deeply global perspective. An early start in global thinking B by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like When the Camera Clicked at the Worst Possible Time Read More Undo orn in Vlorë, Albania, in 1988, Murati grew up during a time of political and economic change. At 16, she was awarded a place at Pearson College UWC, part of the United World Colleges movement. Located on Vancouver Island, the school brings together students from over 80 countries to study under the International Baccalaureate curriculum while promoting intercultural understanding and social responsibility. At UWC, Murati was introduced to a classroom that extended far beyond textbooks. It was a place where students were encouraged to connect science with ethics, innovation with impact. That exposure to global issues, cultures, and values would stay with her long after she left. Engineering meets liberal arts After graduating from Pearson in 2005, Murati pursued a unique academic route, one that bridged the analytical and the abstract. She enrolled in a dual-degree program in the United States, completing a Bachelor of Arts from Colby College in 2011 and a Bachelor of Engineering from Dartmouth College's Thayer School of Engineering in 2012. The combination may seem unusual in the tech world, but for Murati, it was essential. Colby honed her ability to think critically and communicate ideas, while Dartmouth gave her the engineering muscle to bring those ideas to life. In a field increasingly shaped by questions of ethics, responsibility, and human impact, that blend of skills proved invaluable. Building the future, step by step Murati's professional journey began with a brief stint at Zodiac Aerospace, but her career truly took off at Tesla, where she worked as a product manager on the Model X. From there, she moved to Leap Motion (now Ultraleap), a company exploring augmented reality and gesture-based computing. These experiences laid the groundwork for her next move, joining OpenAI in 2018. Initially brought on as the Vice President of Applied AI and Partnerships, she rose to the role of Chief Technology Officer in 2022. At OpenAI, Murati wasn't just managing teams, she was steering the creation of tools that would redefine how humans interact with machines. Under her leadership, OpenAI launched ChatGPT, Codex, DALL·E, and the groundbreaking video model Sora. She also played a key role in aligning technical advancement with ethical considerations, pushing for safety and accountability in the use of large language models. The startup turning heads in Silicon Valley In September 2024, Murati stepped down as CTO of OpenAI, announcing that she wanted to pursue her own exploration. By February 2025, she had unveiled Thinking Machines Lab, a public benefit AI startup with a mission to build AI systems that are more general-purpose, customisable, and understandable to the public. Backed by investors like Nvidia, Accel, ServiceNow, AMD, and even the government of Albania, the startup closed a record-breaking seed round of $2 billion by July, one of the largest in tech history. With talent from OpenAI, Meta, and Mistral joining her team, Murati's lab is already being positioned as a serious contender in the next wave of AI innovation. Education is more than just degrees Mira Murati's journey is more than a story of success, it's a case study in the power of interdisciplinary, global education. From her early scholarship at UWC to her dual academic path in the U.S., every chapter of her learning shaped the thinker and leader she became. For students wondering whether a liberal arts class is worth taking alongside engineering, or whether studying abroad can open up new opportunities, Murati's path offers an answer: yes, and yes. She is proof that education doesn't just teach you what to think—it teaches you how to think, and more importantly, why. In a world rapidly being transformed by AI, those are the skills that will matter most. TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us here . Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
Phone Arena
10 hours ago
- Business
- Phone Arena
Meta offers one billion Dollars to AI researcher in crazy poaching spree, but they decline
Meta missed out on the smartphone boom, but CEO Mark Zuckerberg isn't letting the future of computing slip out of his hands. Alongside XR ( Extended Reality ), the company is throwing ridiculous amounts of money at AI researchers, including a whopping one billion Dollars in one case. Meta reportedly ( subscription required ) recently approached over a dozen AI researchers working at Thinking Machines Lab. The company wanted them to join its new 'Meta Superintelligence Labs' instead, which is being staffed mostly by all of the AI researchers that are being poached from competitors. One employee was offered a billion Dollars, to be paid out over the course of a few years. Other offers ranged from $500 million to as 'low' as $200 million, which would be paid over four years. Some of the researchers were guaranteed to make up to $100 million in just their first year at Meta the craziest thing is that no one has taken Meta up on its insane offers. The company just successfully poached a fourth AI researcher from Apple in just the past month, but apparently no one at Thinking Machines Lab was it's not clear why, anonymous sources claim that it's because the researchers have a problem with Meta's leadership. Salaries at Thinking Machines Lab are around $500,000 a year, so they're not exactly hurting for cash, but a billion Dollars is a ludicrous amount of money that not many could have resisted. The future of computing, according to Meta. | Image credit — Meta It's no secret why Meta is so obsessed with AI researchers: Artificial Intelligence will be the backbone of the future of computing that Zuckerberg is trying to usher in: AR glasses. Meta has poured billions of Dollars into Reality Labs, its XR division. The company is offering affordable VR headsets like the Meta Quest 3, as well as other solutions like the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses. In the end, Meta wants to be the first to market with a consumer version of the Orion smart glasses. And, in my opinion, I think that Zuckerberg is on to something. Apple, Samsung, and Google — as well as some Chinese manufacturers — are all jumping into XR and making AR glasses of their own. If this truly is the future of computing, then Meta is determined to dominate the industry before it even takes off.
NDTV
12 hours ago
- Business
- NDTV
Top AI Researcher At Thinking Machines Lab Turns Down Meta's $1 Billion Job Offer: Report
Of late, Meta has been aggressively recruiting top AI talent for its Superintelligence Labs, offering substantial compensation packages to researchers. Despite making some high-profile hires from OpenAI, Mark Zuckerberg's billion-dollar efforts may have fallen short. His latest target is Mira Murati's Thinking Machines Lab, but this time, his attempts to poach talent might have hit a snag. A Wired report claims that no researchers from Thinking Machines Lab have accepted Meta's offers, despite the company offering big money to attract top AI talent. According to the report, one researcher was offered $1 billion over a multi-year span, while others were offered between $200 million and $500 million in stock and salary, vested over four years. $META reportedly approached over a dozen staffers at Mira Murati's Thinking Machines Lab with wild offers — one topping $1 Billion, others between $200M–$500M over 4 years per WIRED. But here's the kicker: not a single one accepted. TML has $12B valuation with no known product. — Wall St Engine (@wallstengine) July 29, 2025 Despite these lucrative offers, Thinking Machines Lab researchers have declined to join Meta, possibly due to concerns about its leadership, particularly Alexandr Wang, who was recruited to lead the unit alongside Nat Friedman. Some Thinking Machines Lab employees expressed concerns about Wang's leadership style and limited experience. Others weren't impressed with Meta's product roadmap, feeling that the company's focus on creating AI content for Facebook and Instagram doesn't align with their own goals of achieving artificial general intelligence. What is Thinking Machines Lab? Thinking Machines Lab is an artificial intelligence research and product company led by Mira Murati, the former chief technology officer of OpenAI. Despite Thinking Machines Lab's $12 billion valuation in its seed round without a product launch, none of its employees have accepted Meta's lucrative job offers. The company aims to develop multimodal AI systems that are customisable, widely understood, and capable of collaborating with humans across various domains like science and programming. The startup focuses on bridging gaps in AI understanding, emphasising human-AI collaboration, safety, and open-source contributions. The founding team includes ex-OpenAI researchers like John Schulman, Barret Zoph, Lilian Weng, and others, with around 30 researchers and engineers hired from competitors like OpenAI, Meta AI, and Mistral AI.
Hans India
12 hours ago
- Business
- Hans India
Meta's Billion-Dollar AI Talent Hunt Hits a Wall at Mira Murati's Startup
Meta's relentless push to dominate the AI race is facing unexpected resistance. After assembling a high-powered team of researchers and pouring billions into its Superintelligence unit, the tech giant's latest attempt to lure top minds has hit a roadblock—at Thinking Machines Lab (TML), the startup led by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati. According to a recent Wired report, Meta has been attempting to recruit staff from Murati's year-old company, offering eye-watering compensation packages. Mark Zuckerberg himself is reportedly sending initial feelers—starting with a casual WhatsApp message—followed by fast-tracked interviews with top Meta executives, including CTO Andrew 'Boz' Bosworth. One senior researcher was allegedly offered over $1 billion spread across several years, while others were promised hundreds of millions, with first-year payouts ranging from $50 to $100 million. Still, not a single TML employee has accepted the offer so far. Meta officially claims that its recruitment approach isn't as aggressive as rumoured, but the scale of outreach and the jaw-dropping numbers suggest otherwise. For now, the effort has yielded little beyond industry chatter. Founded in 2024, TML has yet to release a product but is already valued at $12 billion, thanks to a historic seed funding round. While Meta leans on open-source disruption and heavy spending, Murati's team is reportedly driven by mission and vision rather than monetary gain. Speaking on this broader strategy, Demis Hassabis, CEO and cofounder of DeepMind, commented, 'There's a strategy that Meta is taking right now. I think the people who are real believers in the mission of AGI and what it can do, and understand the consequences, both good and bad, are mostly doing it to be at the frontier, so they can help influence how that plays out and steward the technology safely into the world.' Even with a headcount of nearly two dozen top researchers, Meta's Superintelligence Labs is being closely scrutinized by the AI community. Some insiders view the lab as a hotbed of talent but lacking clear direction. Others are withholding judgment, watching to see whether Meta can convert its big bet into something transformative. Despite lagging behind OpenAI in releasing groundbreaking models, Meta aims to upend the space by open-sourcing its AI systems. This "commoditize everything" approach is designed to undercut rivals like ChatGPT, but it hasn't been without internal controversy. Reports claim that Meta's Llama 4 model faced performance issues and was launched amid benchmarking disputes meant to make it appear stronger than it was. Still, Meta is banking on the idea that once its vision solidifies, the world's best AI minds will come around. For now, however, Mira Murati's Thinking Machines Lab stands as a quiet but firm symbol of purpose over profit—and proof that in today's AI gold rush, loyalty and mission may still outshine billion-dollar offers.
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Who is Mira Murati? Former OpenAI CTO who rejected Mark Zuckerberg's $1 billion offer to join Meta AI
Mira Murati, the Albanian-American tech visionary behind some of the most significant breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, is once again in the spotlight—this time for turning down an eye-watering $1 billion offer from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg . As the former CTO of OpenAI and now the founder of the AI startup Thinking Machines Lab, Murati has become one of the most influential figures in the global AI race. Her team's unanimous rejection of Meta's massive offer speaks volumes about their confidence in her leadership and their belief in the startup's long-term vision. Mira Murati: The mind behind ChatGPT and beyond Before launching Thinking Machines Lab, Mira Murati served as the chief technology officer at OpenAI, one of the most influential positions in the modern AI world. During her tenure, she played a pivotal role in leading the development of groundbreaking technologies such as ChatGPT, DALL·E, and Codex—systems that have since transformed the way people interact with artificial intelligence. Her work helped bring generative AI into the mainstream, sparking a global wave of innovation across industries from education and healthcare to design and coding. Murati wasn't just a technical leader—she was a strategic visionary. At OpenAI, she emphasized the importance of safety, alignment, and responsible development, pushing the organization to think deeply about the societal impact of powerful AI systems. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Your Finger Shape Says a Lot About Your Personality, Read Now Tips and Tricks Undo Internally, she earned the reputation of being the 'AI brain' behind OpenAI's most ambitious projects, praised for her calm, focused demeanor and her ability to guide multidisciplinary teams through intense periods of innovation. Her combination of engineering precision and human-centered thinking set the stage for her next bold move: founding her own AI company. Thinking Machines Lab: a startup with billion-dollar belief Founded in early 2025, Thinking Machines Lab has rapidly emerged as one of the most-watched AI startups. Despite not launching a single product yet, the company recently raised a stunning $2 billion seed round at a valuation nearing $12 billion, led by Andreessen Horowitz. The startup's goal: to create customizable, interpretable, and widely accessible AI systems that could redefine the AI landscape. Why Murati's team said no to Meta According to a Wired report, Zuckerberg's Meta offered some of Murati's team members compensation packages ranging from $200 million to $1 billion to join its newly launched Superintelligence Lab. But every single offer was turned down. Sources say the Thinking Machines Lab team believes their equity in the startup has the potential to be worth far more—and more importantly, they value their independence and Murati's vision over big-tech paychecks. In a tech industry where massive paydays often drive decisions, the loyalty displayed by Murati's team stands out. The rejection of Meta's lucrative offers highlights their belief in the startup's mission and long-term potential. Many observers also note that the chance to help shape AI's future from the ground up, without the constraints of a corporate giant, is a rare and meaningful opportunity—one Murati has worked hard to create. A name to watch in AI's future Mira Murati's leadership has already been recognized worldwide—she was featured in Time's 100 Most Influential People in AI (2024) and Fortune's 100 Most Powerful Women in Business (2023). With Thinking Machines Lab gaining momentum and Meta's billion-dollar offers rebuffed, Murati has solidified her place not just as a builder of AI—but as a shaper of its future.
