Former OpenAI Chief Research Officer Joins Thinking Machines Lab

Former OpenAI Chief Research Officer Bob McGrew has reportedly joined Thinking Machines Lab, an artificial intelligence company founded by Mira Murati, the former Chief Technology Officer of OpenAI. McGrew initially joined OpenAI in 2017 and served as the company's Chief Research Officer until his departure last November, alongside Murati.

According to information on the Thinking Machines Lab website, McGrew is now listed as an advisor to the company, along with Alec Radford, another former OpenAI researcher. While the exact date of McGrew’s involvement remains unclear, archived records indicate that his name first appeared on the company's site last month.

McGrew's addition further expands the list of former OpenAI employees at Thinking Machines Lab. The company's website reveals that its founding team comprises 38 members, 19 of whom previously worked at OpenAI. Murati also brought in John Schulman, a co-founder of OpenAI, as the Chief Scientist, while Barret Zoph, a co-creator of ChatGPT, serves as the Chief Technology Officer.

Thinking Machines Lab officially launched in February this year, with Murati announcing the news via social media. She stated that the firm aims to "advance the broad use and understanding of AI through solid foundations, open science, and practical applications." Reports suggest that the company was seeking to raise $1 billion at a valuation of approximately $9 billion at the time of its debut.

McGrew announced his departure from OpenAI on social media in September of last year, just a day after Murati. He described his eight years at OpenAI as "an awe-inspiring journey" and mentioned plans to take a break after assisting the research team with a two-month transition period.

As of now, neither Thinking Machines Lab, McGrew, nor Radford has commented on the matter.