The OpenAI mafia: 18 startups founded by alumni

The OpenAI mafia: 18 startups founded by alumni

Move over, PayPal mafia: There’s a new tech mafia in Silicon Valley. As the startup behind ChatGPT, OpenAI is arguably the biggest AI player in town. The company is reportedly now in talks to finalize a $100 billion deal, valuing the company at more than $850 billion.   Many employees have come and gone since the company first launched a decade ago, and some have launched startups of their own. Among these,…

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OpenAI disbands mission alignment team

OpenAI disbands mission alignment team

OpenAI has disbanded a team that was designed to communicate the company’s mission to the public and to its own employees. At the same time, the team’s former leader has been given a new role as the company’s “chief futurist.” OpenAI confirmed to TechCrunch that the team’s members have now been assigned to other roles….

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OpenAI policy exec who opposed chatbot’s “adult mode” reportedly fired on discrimination claim

OpenAI policy exec who opposed chatbot’s “adult mode” reportedly fired on discrimination claim

Ryan Beiermeister, who served as OpenAI’s vice president of product policy, was fired in January after a male colleague accused her of sex discrimination, the Wall Street Journal has reported. “The allegation that I discriminated against anyone is absolutely false,” Beiermeister told the Journal. TechCrunch reached out to OpenAI for comment and also contacted an…

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Trump’s acting cybersecurity chief uploaded sensitive government docs to ChatGPT

Trump’s acting cybersecurity chief uploaded sensitive government docs to ChatGPT

The acting head of U.S. cybersecurity agency CISA uploaded sensitive contracting documents marked “for official use only” to ChatGPT, according to Politico. The outlet, citing officials, reported Tuesday that CISA’s acting director, Madhu Gottumukkala, appointed by Trump, triggered multiple automated security warnings that are designed to prevent the theft or inadvertent disclosure of government files…

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2025 was the year AI got a vibe check

2025 was the year AI got a vibe check

Money was no object for the AI industry in early 2025. A vibe check crept in the second half of the year.  OpenAI raised $40 billion at a $300 billion valuation. Safe Superintelligence and Thinking Machine Labs raised individual $2 billion seed rounds before shipping a single product. Even first-time founders were raising at a…

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ChatGPT launches a year-end review like Spotify Wrapped

ChatGPT launches a year-end review like Spotify Wrapped

ChatGPT is releasing its own version of Spotify Wrapped. That is, the OpenAI-owned chatbot is now rolling out an annual review feature called “Your Year with ChatGPT” to eligible consumers in select markets, including the United States. Other English-speaking markets with access to the new offering include Canada, the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand. At…

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