She may not have the same name recognition as other tech execs like Tim Cook, Bill Gates, or Mark Zuckerberg—not yet, anyway—but Mira Murati is one of the most-watched entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. The former chief technology officer from OpenAI, who left to launch her own AI startup last year, just celebrated a major milestone: Her company, Thinking Machines Lab, just launched its first product this week, called Tinker. Rather than be another generative-AI chatbot like ChatGPT, Tinker is designed to help researchers and developers fine-tune AI models without the need to manage massive computing infrastructure. The launch represents the first commercial product from Thinking Machines, which raised a record-breaking $2 billion in seed funding at a $12 billion valuation.
Murati, the 36-year-old Albanian-American engineer-turned-executive, has emerged as a defining figure in the AI boom. Her journey from a mechanical engineering student to the chief technology officer who helped create ChatGPT exemplifies the rapid transformation of both AI technology and the careers of those building it. More recently, her ability to resist Mark Zuckerberg’s aggressive recruitment efforts—including reported billion-dollar offers to acquire her company and poach her talent—has solidified her reputation as a leader willing to chart her own course in an industry dominated by tech giants.
