TL;DR
A wave of departures and hires across major AI outfits has intensified talent movement: several senior figures left Mira Murati’s Thinking Machines lab for OpenAI, while Anthropic and OpenAI continue to recruit each other’s researchers. The shifts include safety and engineering leaders and reflect ongoing competition for specialized AI expertise.
What happened
Multiple high-profile personnel moves between top AI organizations were reported this week. Three senior executives at Mira Murati’s Thinking Machines lab left abruptly and, according to reporting, were quickly hired by OpenAI; the exits were described as sudden and seemingly acrimonious. Further reporting indicates two additional Thinking Machines employees are expected to join OpenAI in the coming weeks. At the same time, Anthropic recruited Andrea Vallone, a senior safety research lead who had been at OpenAI and who works on how AI systems handle mental-health–related prompts. Vallone is reported to be joining Jan Leike’s alignment group at Anthropic; Leike himself departed OpenAI in 2024 citing concerns about the company’s approach to safety. Separately, Max Stoiber, formerly Shopify’s director of engineering, has joined OpenAI to work on its long-rumored operating system in what he described as a small, high-agency team. These moves illustrate an active cross-hiring environment among major AI labs.
Why it matters
- Talent shifts can reshape research priorities and defensive capabilities within leading AI labs.
- Competition for specialized safety researchers may affect how companies develop and govern models.
- Frequent senior departures could influence startup stability and leadership continuity at newer labs.
- Hiring senior engineering leaders may accelerate product initiatives such as OS-related projects.
Key facts
- Three top executives left Thinking Machines and were reportedly hired by OpenAI.
- Those departures were described as abrupt and seemingly acrimonious.
- Reporter Alex Heath says two more Thinking Machines employees are expected to join OpenAI in the next few weeks.
- Andrea Vallone, a senior safety research lead from OpenAI, moved to Anthropic.
- Vallone’s work focuses on how AI models respond to mental-health–related prompts.
- Jan Leike, now at Anthropic, left OpenAI in 2024 over concerns about the company’s safety posture.
- Max Stoiber, formerly director of engineering at Shopify, joined OpenAI to work on its long-rumored operating system.
- The reporting was published on January 15, 2026.
What to watch next
- Whether the two additional Thinking Machines employees named by reporting follow through with moves to OpenAI or if plans change.
- How Anthropic’s alignment team develops under Jan Leike with new hires like Andrea Vallone.
- OpenAI’s progress on its operating system initiative and the role Max Stoiber will play (not confirmed in the source).
- Whether these departures prompt public responses or policy changes at Thinking Machines, OpenAI or Anthropic (not confirmed in the source).
Quick glossary
- AI lab: An organization or team focused on researching and developing artificial intelligence technologies and models.
- Alignment research: Study and engineering work aimed at ensuring AI systems act in ways that are safe, predictable, and in line with human intentions.
- Executive poaching: When one company hires senior personnel away from another, often to gain expertise or strategic advantage.
- Operating system (in tech product context): Software that manages hardware and provides core services for other software; in AI contexts, it can refer to foundational software enabling AI-driven applications or platforms.
Reader FAQ
Who left Thinking Machines?
Three senior executives departed Mira Murati’s Thinking Machines lab; their names were not provided in the source.
Did those people join OpenAI?
The source reports that all three were quickly hired by OpenAI.
Are more departures expected?
Reporter Alex Heath indicated two more Thinking Machines employees are expected to leave for OpenAI in the next few weeks.
Why did Andrea Vallone leave OpenAI for Anthropic?
The source confirms Vallone moved to Anthropic to work under Jan Leike but does not state her reasons for leaving OpenAI.
What will Max Stoiber do at OpenAI?
Stoiber has joined OpenAI to work on its long-rumored operating system as part of a small, high-agency team.
IN BRIEF Posted: 2:04 PM PST · January 15, 2026 IMAGE CREDITS: ALEX WONG / GETTY IMAGES Russell Brandom The AI lab revolving door spins ever faster AI labs just…
Sources
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