Thinking Machines Lab (TML), the enigmatic artificial intelligence startup founded earlier this year by former OpenAI Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati, has been making significant waves by offering exceptionally high compensation to attract top-tier technical talent. Federal data obtained by Business Insider, derived from H-1B visa filings, reveals the substantial salaries being paid to its early hires.
According to the data, TML is reportedly paying two members of its technical staff an annual salary of $450,000 each. Another technical professional at the company is receiving an even higher compensation of $500,000 per year. Furthermore, a fourth staffer, identified as a “co-founder/machine learning specialist,” is also drawing a salary of $450,000 annually. This commitment to competitive salaries underscores TML’s aggressive strategy to secure leading AI expertise before the launch of any products.
The information, gleaned from mandatory federal filings for non-U.S. resident hires on H-1B visas, offers a rare glimpse into the compensation landscape within the highly competitive AI job market, as companies seldom disclose such figures. It’s crucial to note that these amounts represent only base salaries and do not include other lucrative components common in startup compensation packages, such as sign-on bonuses or equity awards, which often constitute a significant portion of total earnings.
TML’s average salary of $462,500 for these four technical hires is notably higher than those offered by more established large language model competitors. For context, OpenAI, where Murati previously served for six and a half years and was instrumental in the development of ChatGPT, pays an average of $292,115 to its 29 technical staffers listed in similar filings. OpenAI’s highest-paid technical position is $530,000, with the lowest at $200,000. Similarly, Anthropic compensates its 14 technical hires with an average of $387,500, ranging from $300,000 to $690,000.
These compensation figures predate Murati’s successful seed funding round earlier this year, where she reportedly secured $2 billion at a staggering $10 billion valuation. The intense competition for AI talent has been further highlighted by recent industry developments, including Meta’s reported attempts to poach AI professionals with signing bonuses as high as $100 million, as stated by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. TML has also embarked on a significant hiring spree, bringing in notable figures such as Bob McGrew, OpenAI’s former chief research officer; researcher Alec Radford; John Schulman, a co-leader in ChatGPT’s creation; Jonathan Lachman, formerly head of special projects at OpenAI; Barret Zoph, a co-creator of ChatGPT; and Alexander Kirillov, who collaborated closely with Murati on ChatGPT’s voice mode. The company’s website indicates that it has currently paused accepting new applications.
