At a Glance
- OpenAI rehired Barret Zoph hours after Thinking Machines fired him for alleged misconduct
- CEO Fidji Simo claims the move had been planned for weeks
- Thinking Machines leadership accuses Zoph of sharing confidential data with competitors
- Why it matters: The rapid personnel shuffle highlights intensifying talent wars in the AI sector
OpenAI has rehired Barret Zoph and Luke Metz, two cofounders of Mira Murati’s new startup Thinking Machines Lab, just weeks after they left the ChatGPT maker. The announcement, made Wednesday by OpenAI applications CEO Fidji Simo, comes amid conflicting accounts about why Zoph departed his previous role.
The Firing and Rehiring
A source with direct knowledge told News Of Fort Worth that Thinking Machines leadership believed Zoph committed “an incident of serious misconduct” in 2024. That event fractured trust between Zoph and Murati, the source said, and ultimately led to his termination on Wednesday-before anyone at the company knew he was headed back to OpenAI.
Simo painted a different timeline in an internal memo to staff. She claimed the rehires had been in progress for weeks and that Zoph told Murati on Monday he was considering leaving Thinking Machines, two days before the startup fired him. Simo added that OpenAI does not share Thinking Machines’ ethical concerns about Zoph.
Zoph did not respond to multiple requests for comment from News Of Fort Worth.
Confidentiality Questions
Around the time Thinking Machines learned Zoph was returning to OpenAI, the startup raised internal alarms about whether he had shared proprietary information with rivals. The company has not publicly detailed what, if any, data it believes was compromised.
Thinking Machines and OpenAI both declined to comment for this story.
Additional Departures
Sam Schoenholz, another OpenAI veteran who had joined Thinking Machines, is also returning to the ChatGPT maker. At least two more Thinking Machines employees are expected to follow in the coming weeks, according to a person familiar with the matter. Technology reporter Alex Heath first reported those additional moves.
A separate source cautioned that the personnel changes reflect deeper strategic disagreements, not just the Zoph situation. “This has been part of a long discussion at Thinking Machines. There were discussions and misalignment on what the company wanted to build-it was about the product, the technology, and the future.”
Industry Exhaustion
The incident marks the latest drama in a sector already famous for its revolving-door talent moves. Researchers at leading AI labs told News Of Fort Worth they are weary of the constant upheaval. The episode echoes OpenAI’s brief ouster of CEO Sam Altman in 2023-an event insiders call “the blip”-in which Murati, then the company’s chief technology officer, played a pivotal role.
Since Altman’s temporary removal, cofounders have exited several major AI labs:
- Igor Babuschkin left xAI
- Daniel Gross departed Safe Superintelligence
- Yann LeCun stepped back from Meta’s FAIR lab
Some observers argue the turmoil is acceptable for a young industry whose massive expenditures are helping drive U.S. GDP growth. Others note that many researchers began working in AI long before ChatGPT made the field a constant source of public scrutiny.
Funding Boom Continues
Despite the drama, funding shows no sign of slowing. Researchers can still raise billion-dollar seed rounds with relative ease, suggesting that power shifts and high-profile departures will remain routine.
Key Takeaways
- OpenAI rehired Barret Zoph the same day Thinking Machines fired him
- The two companies offer conflicting timelines and justifications
- Additional Thinking Machines staff are expected to join OpenAI soon
- The incident highlights ongoing talent wars in artificial intelligence
