OpenAI Rehires Thinking Machines Co-Founder Days After Startup Exit

OpenAI Rehires Thinking Machines Co-Founder Days After Startup Exit OpenAI Rehires Thinking Machines Co-Founder Days After Startup Exit Caroline Ryan Sun, August 2, 2026 at 4:30 PM GMT+2 5 min read Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. 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. Don't Miss: A single bad hire can set a startup back years. Here are the 5 hires founders most often misjudge — and why Still Learning the Market?

These 50 Must-Know Terms Can Help You Catch Up Fast 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. Trending: Avoid the #1 Investing Mistake: How Your 'Safe' Holdings Could Be Costing You Big Time 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.

Story Continues 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 Read Next:  Skip the Regrets: The Essential Retirement Tips Experts Wish Everyone Knew Earlier.

Think you're saving enough for your kids? You might be dangerously off — see why Building Wealth Across More Than Just the Market Building a resilient portfolio means thinking beyond a single asset or market trend. Economic cycles shift, sectors rise and fall, and no one investment performs well in every environment.

That's why many investors look to diversify with platforms that provide access to real estate, fixed-income opportunities, precious metals, and even self-directed retirement accounts. By spreading exposure across multiple asset classes, it becomes easier to manage risk, capture steady returns, and create long-term wealth that isn't tied to the fortunes of just one company or industry. Arrived Backed by Jeff Bezos, Arrived Homes makes real estate investing accessible with a low barrier to entry.

Investors can buy fractional shares of single-family rentals and vacation homes starting with as little as $100 . This allows everyday investors to diversify into real estate, collect rental income, and build long-term wealth without needing to manage properties directly. Realberry Institutional-quality real estate has traditionally been difficult for individual investors to access.

Realberry gives accredited investors direct access to private real estate opportunities backed by a team with 35 years of experience, $3. 4 billion in assets under management, and $481 million in cumulative distributions paid to investors as of Q4 2025, according to the company. With a portfolio spanning 13 million square feet across seven U.

S. states, Realberry focuses on acquiring, developing, and managing real estate with an emphasis on long-term value creation while its principals often invest alongside clients to help align interests. FarmTogether Farmland has historically held its value through market volatility and delivered returns uncorrelated to stocks and bonds.

For accredited investors, FarmTogether offers direct access to high-quality U. S. farmland starting at $15,000 — fully managed, with no landlord headaches.

Immersed Immersed is building technology for the future of work through spatial computing. Known for its AR/VR productivity platform that enables users to work across multiple virtual screens, the company has grown to more than 1. 5 million users worldwide.

Immersed is also developing Visor, a lightweight headset designed specifically for professional productivity, positioning the company at the intersection of remote work, extended reality (XR), and next-generation computing. Fundrise Private real estate and private credit can add income and stability to a stock-heavy portfolio. Fundrise offers access to diversified private real estate and credit strategies through an easy-to-use platform, with professionally managed portfolios designed to generate passive income and long-term growth.

Mode Mobile Mode Mobile is changing the way people interact with their phones by letting users earn money from the same apps and activities they already use every day. Instead of platforms keeping all the advertising revenue, Mode Mobile shares a portion back with users who engage with content, play games, and scroll on their devices. Named one of Deloitte's fastest-growing software companies in North America, the company has built a large beta user base and is scaling a model that turns everyday smartphone usage into a potential income stream.

  EquityMultiple   For accredited investors looking beyond stocks and bonds, EquityMultiple provides access to vetted commercial real estate deals starting at $5,000 , with only ~5% of opportunities passing their due diligence process. © 2026 Benzinga. com.

Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.