SAN FRANCISCO (Diya TV) — Thinking Machines Lab has named AI researcher Soumith Chintala as its new chief technology officer, marking a major leadership shift at Mira Murati’s artificial intelligence startup. The move follows the departure of former CTO Barret Zoph and two other senior leaders, a change that has sparked competing narratives across the AI industry and renewed attention on OpenAI, where the executives are returning.
Mira Murati confirmed the leadership change in a public post on X. She said Thinking Machines Lab has parted ways with Barret Zoph and appointed Soumith Chintala as the new CTO.
Murati praised Chintala as a “brilliant and seasoned leader” who has made major contributions to the AI field for more than a decade. She said he has played a key role at Thinking Machines Lab and expressed strong confidence in his ability to lead the company’s technology efforts. Chintala is widely known in the artificial intelligence community for his work on deep learning tools and open-source frameworks. His appointment signals continuity for the startup as it works to stabilize its leadership team.
Zoph is not the only executive leaving the company. Luke Metz, a co-founder of Thinking Machines Lab, and Sam Schoenholz are also exiting. All three previously worked at OpenAI before joining Murati’s startup.
After their departure from Thinking Machines Lab, Zoph, Metz, and Schoenholz will return to OpenAI. They are expected to take on new roles inside the company, which created ChatGPT and remains a dominant force in generative AI. The exits represent another setback for Thinking Machines Lab. The company lost another co-founder, Andrew Tulloch, in November. These changes raise questions about the startup’s long-term leadership stability as competition in artificial intelligence intensifies.
Two sharply different accounts have emerged regarding Zoph’s departure. One version comes from Fidji Simo, CEO of applications at OpenAI. In a welcome post, Simo said the move back to OpenAI “has been in the works for several weeks.” She said OpenAI is excited to welcome Zoph, Metz, and Schoenholz back to the company. Simo added that Zoph will report directly to her, while Metz and Schoenholz will report to Zoph. She said more details about their work will follow soon.
Another narrative paints a more complicated picture. According to a Wired report, Simo also sent an internal memo to OpenAI staff. In that memo, she said Zoph had been considering leaving and was eventually fired on Wednesday, Jan. 14. The memo stated that OpenAI does not share the same concerns about Zoph that Thinking Machines Lab CEO Mira Murati reportedly held.
The second narrative includes allegations of unethical conduct. Technology reporter Kylie Robison reported, citing a source close to Thinking Machines Lab, that Zoph allegedly shared confidential information with competitors. Neither Zoph nor Thinking Machines Lab has publicly addressed the specific claims. OpenAI has also declined to comment further on the allegations. The lack of clarity has fueled speculation across Silicon Valley and the broader AI research community.
While the departures hurt Thinking Machines Lab, they benefit OpenAI during a turbulent period. The company has faced what insiders describe as a major internal crisis.
Several senior figures have recently announced their exits. OpenAI Vice President of Research Jerry Tworek informed staff that he is leaving and shared his farewell note publicly on X. Phil Chen, a member of the technical staff, also announced that his last day at OpenAI has arrived. At the same time, OpenAI faces growing pressure from rivals and recent industry shifts, including a high-profile Apple-Google Gemini deal to power the next generation of Siri.
