OpenAI's co-founder John Schulman left Anthropic for Mira Murati's secretive AI firm

OpenAI co-founder John Schulman has left Anthropic after just five months, initially joining the company to focus on AI alignment and hands-on research.

Schulman, a key figure behind ChatGPT, departed OpenAI last August for its rival and has publicly commented on his latest exit or future plans.

“Leaving wasn’t easy because I enjoyed the stimulating research environment and the kind and talented people I was working with, but I decided to go with another opportunity that I found extremely compelling,” he posts on X.

“I’ll share more details in the coming weeks. Thanks to Jared, Jan, Dario and others for the support during my time at Anthropic, and I wish them all the best,” he continues.

Now, according to newly-emerged reports from Fortune, Schulman is reportedly joining Mira Murati’s secretive new startup after leaving Anthropic.

The startup, which has yet to reveal its name or focus, has been recruiting talent from OpenAI, Character AI, and Google DeepMind, but neither he nor Murati’s company has commented on his role.

Murati, who left OpenAI in September 2024, has reportedly been in talks to raise over $100 million for the venture and has recently brought on key hires, including former OpenAI staff.

But despite these shifts, ChatGPT has continued to ship features here and there in the past weeks. Not too long ago, the AI chatbot launched voice messages on its WhatsApp version, lifted up the sign-in requirement to use ChatGPT Search, and launched ChatGPT’s updated custom instructions in Europe.