OpenAI Rehires Thinking Machines Co-Founder Days After Startup Exit

Caroline Ryan

Sun, August 2, 2026 at 5:30 PM GMT+3 5 min read

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Thinking Machines co-founder Lilian Weng has stepped down from the AI startup, citing health concerns and the demands of startup life, before quickly returning to OpenAI.

"I don't feel I'm able to continue at the pace a startup requires. After thinking about it for several months, I have to ultimately admit that the amount of consistent stress and workload have pushed me beyond what my health can sustain physicallly," Weng wrote in a post on X.

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Earlier this week, OpenAI confirmed Weng's rehire to TechCrunch, adding that she will be leading a new research team focused on accelerating the company's internal AI research. The team will focus on research into recursive self-improvement, a process where AI systems improve their own capabilities through repeated iterations.

Weng previously worked at OpenAI for more than six years, holding several roles during her time at the company including research scientist, head of applied AI research, head of safety systems and finally VP of research, safety, a role she remained in until 2024, when she left for Thinking Labs, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Thinking Machines co-founder and former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati responded to Weng's post on X, voicing support for her decision to focus on her health.

"We'll miss you, it's been wonderful building Thinky together. I'm glad that you're putting you're health first. Thank you for everything," Murati wrote under Weng's post. Whether Murati was aware that Weng would ultimately rejoin OpenAI remains unclear.

OpenAI Adds Talent

This is not the first time OpenAI has recruited talent from rival companies to strengthen its team.

Last month, Liz Wamai joined OpenAI as head of recruiting after more than three years at Netflix, as well as former Uber Technologies India and South Asia President Prabhjeet Singh as its managing director for the country.

White House artificial intelligence adviser Dean Ball also joined OpenAI, in a role focused on shaping frontier AI policy.

The ChatGPT maker has also added 40 employees from Salesforce since the start of the year, as the company plans to double its workforce from 4,500 to 8,000 by the end of 2026, the Financial Times reported.

Other recent hires include Ironclad CEO Jason Boehmig, who will lead its product team responsible for building products for the legal industry and former Salesforce AgentExchange CEO Brian Landsman as its vice president of global partnerships.

Denise Dresser, who led Salesforce's Slack business as CEO, departed the company in December to join the ChatGPT maker as the company's chief revenue officer.

Photo: Shutterstock

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