tech
January 15, 2026
Three ex-OpenAI employees returned to the company after a stint at Thinking Machines Lab.
The AI industry employee shake-up continues. The three staffers, who had left for ex-OpenAI CTO Mira Murati’s own AI startup, are now back at OpenAI. Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of Applications, wrote on X that she was “excited to welcome Barret Zoph, Luke Metz, and Sam Schoenholz back” and that the decision “has been in the works for several weeks.”
TL;DR
- Three former OpenAI employees have returned to the company.
- The employees had previously left OpenAI for Mira Murati's AI startup, Thinking Machines Lab.
- OpenAI's CEO of Applications, Fidji Simo, announced their return on X.
- The decision for their return had been in progress for several weeks.