The OpenAI Mafia: 18 Startups Started by Former Employees
In the world of technology, some companies do more than just build products. They act as schools for the next generation of leaders. For many years, people talked about the “PayPal Mafia.” This was a group of early PayPal employees who went on to start giant companies like Tesla, LinkedIn, and Palantir. Today, we are seeing a new group take over the spotlight. We call them the OpenAI Mafia.
OpenAI has become the center of the artificial intelligence world. Because of this, the people who worked there are now some of the most wanted founders in Silicon Valley. Consequently, many talented researchers and engineers have left the company to start their own ventures. These new startups are changing how we use computers, search for information, and even how robots move. In this article, we will look at 18 startups founded by OpenAI alumni and see how they are shaping the future.
What is the OpenAI Mafia?
To understand this trend, we first need to define what a “mafia” means in the tech industry. It refers to a network of former employees from a single company who support each other as they start new businesses. These founders often share a similar culture, high standards, and a deep understanding of a specific technology. In the case of OpenAI, that technology is generative AI and large language models.
Furthermore, these founders often get funding very quickly. Investors believe that if someone helped build ChatGPT, they likely know the “secret sauce” for the next big thing. As a result, the OpenAI Mafia has raised billions of dollars in venture capital in just a few short years.
The Heavy Hitters: Top Startups from OpenAI Alumni
Several companies started by former OpenAI staff have already reached “unicorn” status, meaning they are worth over one billion dollars. Here are some of the most famous ones.
1. Anthropic
Anthropic is perhaps the biggest rival to OpenAI today. It was founded by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who were high-level leaders at OpenAI. They left because they wanted to focus more on AI safety. Consequently, Anthropic created Claude, an AI assistant known for being very helpful and honest. Today, Google and Amazon have invested billions of dollars into this company.
2. Adept AI
While OpenAI focuses on chatbots, Adept AI wants to build AI that can actually use your computer for you. Founded by David Luan and other researchers, Adept is building a “useful” AI. For instance, instead of just writing a list of instructions, the AI can open a spreadsheet, enter data, and send an email on its own. This shift from “talking” to “doing” is a major step in the industry.
3. Perplexity AI
Perplexity is changing the way we search the web. It was co-founded by Aravind Srinivas, who previously worked as a researcher at OpenAI. Instead of giving you a list of links like Google does, Perplexity gives you a direct answer with citations. Because it is fast and accurate, many people are switching to it for their daily research needs.
4. Covariant
Not all OpenAI alumni stay in the world of software. Pieter Abbeel, Peter Chen, and Rocky Duan started Covariant to bring AI into the physical world. Specifically, they focus on robotics. Their software helps robots in warehouses pick up items they have never seen before. This is a very difficult task that requires advanced AI brains.
5. Cresta
Cresta was co-founded by Tim Shi. This startup focuses on making customer service teams better. By using AI to analyze phone calls in real-time, Cresta gives suggestions to agents on what to say next. As a result, companies can solve customer problems much faster than before.
Middle-Stage Startups Making Waves
Beyond the huge names, several other startups are growing rapidly. These companies solve specific problems for developers and businesses.
6. Anysphere (Cursor)
If you are a programmer, you might have heard of Cursor. It is an AI-powered code editor built by the team at Anysphere. Many of the founders spent time at OpenAI. Their goal is to help developers write code twice as fast by integrating AI directly into the workspace.
7. Daedalus
Similar to Covariant, Daedalus works with physical things. However, they focus on the manufacturing of precision parts. They use AI to automate the setup of factories. This helps make the production of metal parts much more efficient and cheaper.
8. Jellyfish
Jellyfish helps engineering leaders understand how their teams are working. By using AI to analyze data from coding platforms, it shows which projects are taking the most time. Consequently, managers can make better decisions about where to spend their resources.
9. Sieve
Sieve is a startup that focuses on video AI. Since video files are very large and complex, they are hard to process. Sieve provides the tools that allow developers to build apps that can “see” and understand video content automatically.
10. Imbue (Formerly Generally Intelligent)
Imbue is working on “reasoning” models. They believe that AI should not just predict the next word in a sentence. Instead, AI should be able to reason through complex problems. This is a very ambitious goal that aligns with the original mission of OpenAI.
Specialized AI Startups by Alumni
In addition to general AI, many alumni have started companies that focus on very specific technical niches.
11. Normal Computing
This startup is looking at the hardware and math behind AI. They want to make AI more reliable for big companies that cannot afford to have the AI make mistakes. Specifically, they focus on “probabilistic computing,” which helps the AI understand when it is unsure of an answer.
12. Common Sense Machines (CSM)
CSM is building tools that can turn a simple image or video into a 3D model. This is very useful for game developers and movie makers. By using AI, they can create digital worlds in minutes rather than weeks.
13. Giza
Giza is a unique startup that combines AI with blockchain technology. They are building a platform that allows people to use “verifiable” AI. This means you can prove that a specific AI model was used to make a decision without showing the secret code of the model.
14. Odyssey
Odyssey is focused on Hollywood-quality visual effects. They are building a generative AI that helps creators make high-end films and commercials. Their goal is to give creative people more power to realize their visions without needing a massive budget.
15. Etched
Etched is a hardware company. Instead of making software, they are building specialized computer chips (ASICs) designed specifically to run large language models like ChatGPT. Since standard chips are often slow for these tasks, Etched hopes to make AI much faster and cheaper to run.
16. Foundry
Foundry provides the cloud infrastructure that AI companies need. As more people build AI models, the demand for computer power has skyrocketed. Foundry helps companies find and manage the GPU power they need to stay competitive.
17. Cognition AI
Cognition recently made headlines with “Devin,” the first AI software engineer. While the founders come from various backgrounds, several members of the early team have strong ties to the OpenAI research community. They are pushing the limits of what AI can do in the world of software development.
18. Sierra
Sierra was co-founded by Bret Taylor, who was the Chairman of the Board at OpenAI. While he was not a researcher, his deep connection to the company makes Sierra a key part of the “OpenAI Mafia” ecosystem. Sierra helps big brands build AI agents that can talk to customers and solve complex issues.
Why Does This Matter for the Future?
You might wonder why it is important that one company has produced so many startups. The reason is simple: talent density. When a group of very smart people works together on a difficult problem, they learn things that no one else knows. When they leave, they take those lessons with them.
Furthermore, this competition is good for everyone. If OpenAI were the only company building AI, progress might be slow. However, with 18 or more companies competing, everyone has to work harder. This leads to faster innovation, lower prices, and better tools for the average person. In addition, these startups are often more willing to take risks on weird or niche ideas that a big company like OpenAI might ignore.
Another important factor is the “vibe” of these companies. Most OpenAI alumni carry a sense of urgency. They believe that AI will change everything very soon. Therefore, they work at a very fast pace. This culture is now spreading across the entire tech industry, from San Francisco to London and beyond.
Conclusion
The OpenAI Mafia is just getting started. Just like the PayPal Mafia defined the internet in the early 2000s, this new group will likely define the age of artificial intelligence. From massive models like Anthropic to niche hardware like Etched, the influence of OpenAI is everywhere.
To put it simply, the talent coming out of OpenAI is acting as a seed for the rest of the world. As these 18 startups grow, they will hire more people, who will eventually leave to start their own companies too. Consequently, the circle of innovation will continue to expand. Whether you are a developer, an investor, or just someone who uses a smartphone, you will probably be using a product from the OpenAI Mafia very soon.
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