John Schulman, a co-founder of OpenAI, has left Anthropic after just five months to join Mira Murati's new startup, marking a significant career shift.
Schulman confirmed his departure on February 6, 2025, describing it as a difficult decision, especially given the supportive environment and colleagues at Anthropic.
His exit from Anthropic comes without a public explanation, and although he has not disclosed his next career move, his profile on X still indicates he 'recently joined' Anthropic.
Prior to joining Anthropic, Schulman had left OpenAI in August 2024, expressing a desire to focus on AI alignment and hands-on technical work, clarifying that his departure was personal and not due to a lack of support.
Mira Murati, who was the Chief Technology Officer at OpenAI until September 2024, is the founder of the startup, which has been described as developing Agentic AI.
Murati's startup, reportedly named 'Thinking Machines Lab,' has successfully raised over $100 million in funding, although it has not yet publicly confirmed its name or product direction.
The startup has attracted significant talent from leading AI companies, including several former OpenAI employees like Christian Gibson, Jonathan Lachman, and Mario Saltarelli.
Schulman is the latest addition to Murati's team, which has been bolstered by notable hires from OpenAI and other AI firms, reflecting a trend of prominent figures leaving established companies to pursue new ventures.
Schulman's move to Murati's startup indicates her growing influence in the AI sector, as she actively recruits top talent and seeks to carve out a niche in the competitive landscape.
Anthropic, which is backed by Amazon and Google, is emerging as a significant competitor to OpenAI with its Claude AI models, highlighting the intense competition in the AI industry.
The rapid shifts in the AI industry, with increasing competition from companies like DeepSeek and Mistral, make Schulman's future career decisions particularly noteworthy to industry insiders.
A representative from Murati's startup declined to comment on Schulman's move, and he did not respond to requests for comment, adding an air of mystery to his transition.
