Cofounder’s Office Romance Led to Termination at Thinking Machines

Rowan Ashford

ago 2 hours

Leaders at Thinking Machines Lab recently dealt with significant internal conflict following a relationship between cofounder Barret Zoph and a former employee. This situation led to Zoph’s eventual termination from the company.

Cofounder’s Office Romance Led to Termination at Thinking Machines

Barret Zoph, the cofounder and former CTO of Thinking Machines, was confronted about his relationship with another employee last summer. This employee held a leadership position in a different department and is no longer with the lab.

Breakdown of Professional Relationships

Following discussions about his relationship, Zoph’s working relationship with cofounder Mira Murati deteriorated. Sources indicate that he began exploring opportunities with competitor companies shortly after their conversation.

Zoph was in talks with leaders from Meta Superintelligence Labs.
Eventually, he secured a position with OpenAI.

Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of applications, confirmed that Zoph’s hiring had been in progress for weeks. She also mentioned that she did not share concerns regarding Zoph’s ethics expressed by Thinking Machines.

Employee Exodus from Thinking Machines

This week marked the departure of another Thinking Machines cofounder, Luke Metz, along with three other researchers, all of whom joined OpenAI. Additionally, in October, cofounder Andrew Tulloch left for Meta, contributing to a growing trend of turnover within the company.

Internal Misalignments

The internal strife at Thinking Machines extends beyond Zoph’s situation. There have been reports of misalignment regarding the company’s strategic direction. Despite aspirations, the startup is currently working to raise capital at a valuation of $50 billion, an increase from its existing valuation of $12 billion.

Thinking Machines Lab has opted not to comment on these developments. As the company faces these challenges, the future remains uncertain as it navigates significant personnel changes and strategic realignment.