Thinking Machines Lab, an AI company founded by Mira Murati, has just pulled off one of the biggest startup funding rounds ever — a massive $2 billion in seed money. The company is now valued at $10 billion.
That’s right. A six-month-old company with no public product yet has already hit decacorn status.
So, What Is Thinking Machines Lab?
Here’s the thing — no one really knows.
The company hasn’t said much about what it’s building. There’s no public demo. No splashy launch event. But what it does have is Mira Murati — and that’s enough to get investors lining up.
Murati is no stranger to big AI breakthroughs. She played a key role at OpenAI, helping lead the development of tools like:
- ChatGPT, the now-famous AI chatbot
- DALL·E, which turns text into images
- And Voice Mode, a real-time speech feature
She left OpenAI last year, after briefly stepping in as interim CEO during the Sam Altman leadership crisis. And now, she’s building something new — on her own terms.
Backed by the Best in Silicon Valley
The funding round was led by Andreessen Horowitz, one of the most powerful VC firms in tech. Also joining the round: Sarah Guo’s Conviction Partners.
In other words: some of the smartest people in venture capital believe Thinking Machines Lab is going to be a big deal — even if it hasn’t revealed what it’s making.
The Power of People (and Reputation)
Part of what’s driving this huge early valuation is the team Murati has assembled. She’s brought in John Schulman, one of OpenAI’s co-founders and a major voice in reinforcement learning.
And she’s not stopping there. Several of her former OpenAI teammates are said to have joined the startup as well.
Together, they’re forming what looks like an AI all-star team.
What Might They Be Building?
Here’s what we can guess, based on the talent involved and the direction AI is heading:
- A new kind of foundation model, like GPT or Claude
- A developer-focused AI platform
- Tools for human-aligned artificial intelligence
- Or maybe something completely different
Murati has always been vocal about making AI safer, more transparent, and easier to interact with. Thinking Machines Lab could be her opportunity to actually build that vision from scratch.
Why This Is Such a Big Deal
Let’s zoom out.
$2 billion is not a normal amount of money for a startup this young — especially without a product in market. This is one of the biggest early-stage rounds ever in tech.
It shows:
- How much faith investors have in Murati’s leadership
- How fast the AI race is moving
- How much money is pouring into the space
Even without all the answers, Thinking Machines Lab is already one of the most-watched startups in the world.
Key Things to Know
- Founded by: Mira Murati, former CTO of OpenAI
- Raised: $2 billion in seed funding
- Valuation: $10 billion
- Team: Includes ex-OpenAI stars like John Schulman
- Investors: Led by Andreessen Horowitz, joined by Conviction Partners
- Product details: Still under wraps
Final Thoughts
It’s rare to see this kind of hype around a stealth startup. But Murati’s track record, paired with a team of seasoned AI experts, makes this one worth watching.
Whether it’s a new kind of AI assistant, a smarter model, or a whole new take on how we interact with machines — we’ll likely find out soon.