Thinking Machines Lab, the secretive AI startup founded by former OpenAI chief technology officer Mira Murati, has closed a $2 billion funding round, valuing the 6-month-old company at $10 billion.
Why it matters: The deal, reportedly one of the largest seed rounds in history, underscores the high expectations surrounding Murati’s latest endeavor and the significant investor interest in the AI industry.
The details:
- The funding round was reportedly led by Andreessen Horowitz with participation from Sarah Guo’s Conviction Partners.
- Several former OpenAI colleagues, including co-founder John Schulman, have joined the new venture.
- Murati was instrumental in the development of prominent AI products like ChatGPT and DALL-E during her time at OpenAI.
- She left OpenAI in 2023 after raising concerns about CEO Sam Altman’s leadership and briefly served as interim CEO before Altman was reinstated.
Details about the company’s work remain confidential, but with its impressive funding and experienced team, Thinking Machines Lab is poised to make a significant impact in the AI industry.
The funding round comes amidst a broader trend of venture capitalists assigning enormous valuations to AI startups based more on optimistic projections than on concrete data, a phenomenon dubbed “vibe valuing.”
The big picture: The rise of generative AI has revolutionized coding and is now spilling over into the finance world, driving investor interest in AI startups despite uncertainties about the timeline for reaching sophisticated levels of superintelligence.
The skeptics: Some detractors argue that the current trend echoes the dot-com bubble, warning that the “vibe” might not sustain long-term growth.
- “This phenomenon is reminiscent of past tech booms but is driven by the extraordinary promise of AI, even if the timeline for reaching sophisticated levels of superintelligence remains uncertain,” according to a recent article in the Business section of the print edition.
What’s next: With its substantial funding and talented team, Thinking Machines Lab is well-positioned to make significant strides in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence.