OpenAI 'Mafia' Spawns $8B in New AI Startups
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19 former OpenAI employees have left to launch their own AI startups, including Anthropic, Pilot, and Perplexity.
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These "OpenAI mafia" members have raised nearly $8 billion in funding from top VC firms like Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia.
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Anthropic specifically focuses on developing safe AI and has raised over $7 billion from Google, Amazon, and others.
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Other OpenAI spinoffs are working on robotics (Covariant), conversational AI (Cresta), and more.
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The ex-OpenAI founders cite the experience and network they gained as helping propel their new ventures.