Mira Murati invests in Worktrace AI, start-up by ex-OpenAI employee
What's the story
Angela Jiang, an early product manager at OpenAI, has launched a new artificial intelligence (AI) start-up called Worktrace AI. The company is being backed by Mira Murati, the former Chief Technology Officer of OpenAI. Worktrace AI aims to automate repetitive tasks in large enterprises by observing employees. It was recently in talks to raise $10 million in seed funding at a valuation of $50 million, according to Business Insider.
Financial support
Funding from OpenAI's top brass and venture capital firms
Worktrace AI's approach is part of a growing trend in Silicon Valley, where companies are exploring ways for AI to learn and replicate human tasks. The start-up has managed to attract funding from a number of prominent figures at OpenAI. The company's backers include Nick Turley, head of ChatGPT; Jason Kwon, OpenAI's chief strategy officer; and Joanne Jang, who helped define ChatGPT's behavior. The company is also backed by the OpenAI Startup Fund and venture capital firms 8VC and Conviction.
Career transition
Founder's background and previous experience at OpenAI
Jiang joined OpenAI as its third product manager and was instrumental in launching the models behind ChatGPT, including the one that went viral in late 2022. She later worked on OpenAI's public policy team before leaving the company in December 2024, as per her LinkedIn profile Her co-founder at Worktrace AI is Deepak Vasisht, an assistant professor of computer science at the University of Illinois.
Market potential
Trend of AI start-ups launched by ex-OpenAI employees
Worktrace AI is the latest in a series of high-value AI start-ups launched by former OpenAI employees. These companies have raised significant funding even before launching a product or generating revenue. Murati's Thinking Machines Lab recently raised $2 billion in seed funding, valuing it at $12 billion. Other successful start-ups include Safe Superintelligence, founded by former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, which is valued at $32 billion, according to Financial Times.