Co-founders of Thinking Machines Barret Zoph and Luke Metz are leaving the young AI lab and rejoining OpenAI, the ChatGPT maker announced on Thursday. OpenAI's CEO of applications, Fidji Simo, shared the news in a memo to staff Thursday afternoon.
The news was first reported on X by technology reporter Kylie Robison, who wrote that Zoph was fired for “unethical behavior.”
A source close to Thinking Machines said Zoph had shared confidential company information with competitors. WIRED was unable to verify this information with Zoph, who did not immediately respond to WIRED's request for comment.
Zoph told Thinking Machines CEO Mira Murati on Monday that he was considering leaving, but was fired today, according to Simo's memo. She further writes that OpenAI does not share the same concerns about Zoph as Murati.
The personnel shake-up is a big win for OpenAI, which recently lost its vice president of research, Jerry Tworek.
Another Thinking Machines Lab employee, Sam Schoenholz, is also rejoining OpenAI, the source said.
Zoph and Metz left OpenAI in late 2024 to form Thinking Machines with Murati, who had been the ChatGPT maker's chief technology officer.
This is a development story. Check back later for updates.
