Co-founders of Thinking Machines Barret Zoph and Luke Metz are leaving the fledgling AI lab and rejoining OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT announced on Thursday. OpenAI’s general manager of applications, Fidji Simo, shared the news in a memo to employees on Thursday afternoon.
The news was first reported on X by tech reporter Kylie Robison, who wrote that Zoph was fired for “unethical conduct.”
A source close to Thinking Machines said Zoph shared confidential information about the company with competitors. WIRED was unable to verify this information with Zoph, who did not immediately respond to WIRED’s request for comment.
On Monday, Zoph told Thinking Machines CEO Mira Murati that he was considering leaving, and was fired today, according to Simo’s memo. He then writes that OpenAI does not share the same concerns about Zopha as Murati.
The staff shake-up is a gigantic 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 overdue 2024 to found Thinking Machines with Murati, who was the chief technology officer of the maker of ChatGPT.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.