**The AI Brain Drain: Co-Founders Leave Considering Machines Lab for OpenAI**
In a surprising turn of events, Mira Murati’s startup, Considering Machines Lab, has announced that two of its co-founders are peacing out to return to OpenAI. Just a few months after closing a record-breaking $2 billion seed round, valuing the company at a staggering $12 billion.
According to a tweet from Murati herself, the company’s CTO, Barret Zoph, is outta there. Soumith Chintala, a seasoned AI researcher, will take over as the new CTO. But, just 58 minutes later, OpenAI’s CEO of Applications, Fidji Simo, tweeted that Zoph, along with co-founders Luke Metz and Sam Schoenholz, are making the switch back to OpenAI.
This is a big deal, especially given that Considering Machines Lab was founded by Murati, a former CTO of OpenAI, and Zoph, who previously worked at OpenAI as VP of Research. Metz, another co-founder, also has OpenAI roots, having worked there for many years.
The departures of two co-founders, happening so close together, can be seen as a significant setback for Considering Machines Lab. Add to that the recent departure of co-founder Andrew Tulloch, who joined Meta in October, and you’ve got a company struggling to keep its key players on board.
OpenAI, on the other hand, has its own history of co-founders jumping ship to launch or join competing ventures. Take John Schulman, for example, who left OpenAI in August 2024 to join Anthropic and later became the Chief Scientist at Considering Machines Lab when it launched in February 2024.
I reached out to Considering Machines Lab and OpenAI for comment, but so far, no response.
**What does this mean for the AI industry?**
The departures of co-founders from Considering Machines Lab to OpenAI could have some serious implications for the AI industry. Considering Machines Lab was founded to tackle complex AI problems, and its departures may impact its ability to achieve its goals. OpenAI, on the other hand, is gaining momentum, with its CEO Sam Altman predicting that the company will be a major player in the AI industry in the next few years.
The departures of co-founders may also signal a trend in the AI industry, where key talent is moving between companies to pursue new opportunities or challenges. It’s a brain drain, folks, and one that could have far-reaching consequences for the future of AI.
