Barret Zoph is leaving OpenAI just five months after returning to the company, according to reporting by The Verge.
Zoph had rejoined OpenAI in mid-January and was tapped to lead enterprise AI sales, a high-profile assignment as the company sharpened its focus on major revenue areas such as enterprise products and coding tools ahead of a planned IPO. His return came after a brief stint at Thinking Machines Lab, the AI startup launched by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, where Zoph served as co-founder and chief technology officer.
OpenAI confirmed Zoph’s departure to The Verge. He also shared a farewell message in the company’s Slack channels. Zoph did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
His latest exit follows a turbulent stretch. Zoph first left OpenAI in the fall of 2024 to join Murati’s new venture, but his time there ended abruptly in January 2026. That departure came after reports of alleged misconduct involving an undisclosed relationship with a colleague. At the time, Murati said on X that Thinking Machines Lab had “parted ways” with Zoph and that a new CTO would take over.
The move also unfolds against the backdrop of a complicated relationship between OpenAI and Thinking Machines Lab. Murati briefly served as OpenAI’s interim CEO during Sam Altman’s ouster in November 2023, and more recently testified during OpenAI’s trial that she did not trust everything Altman said. After Murati left OpenAI in September 2024 to start Thinking Machines Lab, several OpenAI employees soon joined her.
