Lilian Weng announced she would step down from her role at Thinking Machines, citing health issues. She wrote in an internal Slack message that the consistent stress and workload had pushed her beyond what her body could sustain physically. On Wednesday, OpenAI confirmed she would rejoin the company to lead a team focused on accelerating internal research. This group will support work on recursive self-improvement, a process allowing an AI system to iterate on itself to become more powerful. While the move appears contradictory to her comments about startup pressure, Weng likely faces less direct pressure working as an employee rather than a co-founder. Her departure and return remain notable in a sector facing fierce competition for talent.
Mira Murati, co-founder of Thinking Machines and former OpenAI CTO, replied to Weng’s post to express support for her decision to prioritise health. It is unclear if Murati knew Weng would rejoin OpenAI at the time of her response. The situation highlights the complex personal and professional dynamics within the industry.
* Weng previously served as VP of AI Safety Research at OpenAI.
* Murati thanked Weng for everything done while building Thinking Machines.
* The new team at OpenAI will focus on cross-research work.
