A new "mafia" is emerging in the AI startup world

Key takeaways

• A new batch of AI startups, formed by former employees of OpenAI, is emerging and attracting significant investments.
• The startups are working on various AI-related projects, such as automated software tools, safety and research, robotics solutions, building efficient factories, and rebalancing the planet's carbon cycle.
• With over $1 billion in funding raised, these former OpenAI employees have the potential to create a new influential group in the AI industry, similar to the "PayPal Mafia."

A story of PayPal and OpenAI

Sometimes such concentration of talents, connections, and financial opportunities arise in a single place, which creates remarkable ecosystems that impact the technological landscape of the planet.

For example, now called "PayPal Mafia," is a group of former PayPal employees and founders who have since founded or developed other companies such as Tesla, LinkedIn, Palantir Technologies, SpaceX, Affirm, YouTube, Yelp, Yammer, and others.

Among the "PayPal Mafia" members are Elon Mask, Reid Hoffman, and Peter Thiel. And since 2015, they have been co-founders of OpenAI, a company with total funding of $11 bn, and the creator of ChatGPT and DALL.E.

OpenAI became a hub for top talents in AI. But since it is common for key employees to one day leave the company to start their own businesses, over the past five years, more than 30 employees have left OpenAI for this endeavor.

Who's next?

Let's take a quick look at their new ventures:

• Adept — is training a neural network to use and automate every software tool in the world (David Luan, former VP of Engineering).
• Anthropic — an AI safety and research company that builds reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems (Dario Amodei, former VP of Research).
• Covariant — creates the first AI robotic solutions to automate pick-and-place processes at warehouses and fulfillment centers (Peter Chen, former Research Scientist).
• Pilot — provides accounting, CFO, and tax services for startups and growing businesses (Jeff Arnold, former Head of Operations).
• Daedalus — is building efficient and reliable factories for precision parts, controlled by software, and operated by robots (Jonas Schneider, former Technical Lead).
• Living Carbon — is rebalancing the planet's carbon cycle using the power of enhanced plants (Maddie Hall, former Special Projects Manager).

As of February 2023, these and other former OpenAI employees' startups have already raised more than $1 billion in funding. A good start?

Will these people lead us to a future with a generative AI?

Can they be called a new "OpenAI Mafia"? Time will tell.

Inspired by: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/openai-mafia-bhasker-gupta