Thinking Machines Secures Major Funding Despite Lack of Product, Hires Ex-OpenAI Team

Thinking Machines, a San Francisco-based startup, has closed one of Silicon Valley's largest early-stage funding rounds without a product, prototype, or roadmap. Andreessen Horowitz led the round, with participation from Sarah Guo's Conviction Partners. The company's founder, Mira, Leveraged her reputation from OpenAI and Tesla to secure the investment.

The startup has recruited several high-profile OpenAI alumni, including co-founder John Schulman and former executives Jonathan Lachman, Barret Zoph, and Lilian Weng. Mira previously led ChatGPT, Dall-E, and voice feature development at OpenAI before departing in September 2023 amid leadership tensions with Sam Altman.

The funding round's size and timing raise eyebrows—occurring just months after OpenAI's failed board coup where Mira briefly served as interim CEO. The deal underscores how pedigree can sometimes outweigh traditional metrics in Silicon Valley's competitive AI landscape.