Mira Murati, the Albanian-American tech visionary behind some of the most significant breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, is once again in the spotlight—this time for turning down an eye-watering $1 billion offer from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. As the former CTO of OpenAI and now the founder of the AI startup Thinking Machines Lab, Murati has become one of the most influential figures in the global AI race. Her team’s unanimous rejection of Meta’s massive offer speaks volumes about their confidence in her leadership and their belief in the startup’s long-term vision.
Mira Murati: The mind behind ChatGPT and beyond
Before launching Thinking Machines Lab, Mira Murati served as the chief technology officer at OpenAI, one of the most influential positions in the modern AI world. During her tenure, she played a pivotal role in leading the development of groundbreaking technologies such as ChatGPT, DALL·E, and Codex—systems that have since transformed the way people interact with artificial intelligence. Her work helped bring generative AI into the mainstream, sparking a global wave of innovation across industries from education and healthcare to design and coding.Murati wasn’t just a technical leader—she was a strategic visionary. At OpenAI, she emphasized the importance of safety, alignment, and responsible development, pushing the organization to think deeply about the societal impact of powerful AI systems. Internally, she earned the reputation of being the “AI brain” behind OpenAI’s most ambitious projects, praised for her calm, focused demeanor and her ability to guide multidisciplinary teams through intense periods of innovation. Her combination of engineering precision and human-centered thinking set the stage for her next bold move: founding her own AI company.
Thinking Machines Lab: a startup with billion-dollar belief
Founded in early 2025, Thinking Machines Lab has rapidly emerged as one of the most-watched AI startups. Despite not launching a single product yet, the company recently raised a stunning $2 billion seed round at a valuation nearing $12 billion, led by Andreessen Horowitz. The startup’s goal: to create customizable, interpretable, and widely accessible AI systems that could redefine the AI landscape.
Why Murati’s team said no to Meta
According to a Wired report, Zuckerberg’s Meta offered some of Murati’s team members compensation packages ranging from $200 million to $1 billion to join its newly launched Superintelligence Lab. But every single offer was turned down. Sources say the Thinking Machines Lab team believes their equity in the startup has the potential to be worth far more—and more importantly, they value their independence and Murati’s vision over big-tech paychecks.In a tech industry where massive paydays often drive decisions, the loyalty displayed by Murati’s team stands out. The rejection of Meta’s lucrative offers highlights their belief in the startup’s mission and long-term potential. Many observers also note that the chance to help shape AI’s future from the ground up, without the constraints of a corporate giant, is a rare and meaningful opportunity—one Murati has worked hard to create.
A name to watch in AI’s future
Mira Murati’s leadership has already been recognized worldwide—she was featured in Time’s 100 Most Influential People in AI (2024) and Fortune’s 100 Most Powerful Women in Business (2023). With Thinking Machines Lab gaining momentum and Meta’s billion-dollar offers rebuffed, Murati has solidified her place not just as a builder of AI—but as a shaper of its future.
