OpenAI co-founder joins ex-CTO Mira Murati's secret start-up
What's the story
John Schulman, a co-founder of OpenAI, has moved to a new role at ex-CTO Mira Murati's stealth start-up, according to Fortune.
The move comes just five months after he joined Anthropic, the report says.
The exact reasons behind his sudden exit from Anthropic and new role at Murati's company remain unknown.
Talent acquisition
Murati's start-up gains attention for high-profile hires
Murati's start-up, which is still unnamed or product-focused, has been making headlines for poaching talent from top AI companies.
These include OpenAI, Character AI, and Google's AI research lab DeepMind.
The Information first broke the news about Schulman's exit from Anthropic but his subsequent move to Murati's venture was reported only recently.
Career shift
Schulman's career transition and focus on AI alignment
Schulman departed OpenAI in August 2024, stating that he wanted to "deepen my focus on AI alignment, and to start a new chapter of my career where I can return to hands-on technical work."
He emphasized that his exit wasn't due to a lack of support for alignment research at OpenAI. It was rather a personal decision based on his career goals.
Funding and expansion
Murati's start-up secures funding and expands team
Murati, who departed from her role as CTO at OpenAI in September 2024, has been actively seeking funds for her start-up.
In October 2024, she was reportedly in talks to secure over $100 million in funding.
While Murati has remained silent about the venture since leaving OpenAI, she has reportedly brought in more former OpenAI employees, including Christian Gibson from the supercomputing team; Jonathan Lachman, former head of special projects; and Mario Saltarelli, a longtime IT manager.