Murati’s AI lab nearly had Apple as a buyer
Apple explored a potential acquisition of Thinking Machines Lab, an AI startup founded by Mira Murati, following her departure from OpenAI, alongside internal discussions regarding Perplexity, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Murati, formerly OpenAI’s Chief Technology Officer, left the company less than a year after the boardroom events that briefly led to CEO Sam Altman’s removal.
Murati and OpenAI co-founder and Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever played roles in the effort to oust Altman. Murati briefly served as OpenAI’s interim CEO. She later threatened to resign if Altman was not reinstated, indicating a shift in her position during the internal conflict.
Following her departure from OpenAI, Murati established Thinking Machines Lab. This new AI startup completed a seed funding round, securing $2 billion, with Andreessen Horowitz leading the investment. This funding round valued Thinking Machines Lab at $10 billion, representing the largest seed round for any company to date. The public information regarding Thinking Machines Lab emphasizes its objective to foster “a future where everyone has access to the knowledge and tools to make AI work for their unique needs and goals.”
The company’s launch manifesto elaborates on this purpose, stating, “The scientific community’s understanding of frontier AI systems lags behind rapidly advancing capabilities. Knowledge of how these systems are trained is concentrated within the top research labs, limiting both the public discourse on AI and people’s abilities to use AI effectively. And, despite their potential, these systems remain difficult for people to customize to their specific needs and values.
To bridge the gaps, we’re building Thinking Machines Lab to make AI systems more widely understood, customizable and generally capable.” Apple engaged with Murati earlier in 2025 to discuss a potential deal for Thinking Machines Lab. However, these discussions did not advance significantly. According to Mark Gurman, “The talks never progressed to an advanced stage.”