John Schulman is still at Thinking Machines Lab, as chief scientist
Follow-up to the researcher-moves census, checked as of 28 August 2026. The latest public evidence — 3 independent status reports dated 28 and 29 July 2026 — identifies John Schulman as chief scientist of Thinking Machines Lab. He moved from OpenAI to Anthropic in August 2024, then from Anthropic to Thinking Machines Lab in February 2025, and no later credible report of another move was found. This is the latest publicly supported status, not a guarantee about private changes after the most recent report.
Current lab
Thinking Machines Lablatest publicly supported affiliation
Role
Chief scientistnamed in all 3 reports
Latest evidence
29 Jul 20263 status reports, 28–29 Jul 2026
Checked as of
28 Aug 2026no later credible report of another move found
OpenAI (before August 2024)
Anthropic (Aug 2024 – Feb 2025)
Thinking Machines Lab (Feb 2025 → latest evidence)
status report · hover for the quote and source
Two of the reports, covering Lilian Weng’s return to OpenAI, add that of the startup’s six cofounders only two remain: CEO Mira Murati and chief scientist John Schulman.
dlvr.it ·
themuslimpress.comThe third places him on a live signatory list of an AI-pacing letter as “Thinking Machines chief scientist John Schulman”, alongside OpenAI chief scientist Jakub Pachocki, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, Meta AI chief scientist Shengjia Zhao and Shane Legg.
letsdatascience.comOccupation-history evidence in the earlier census dated the Anthropic → Thinking Machines move to February 2025; nothing found between then and the 28 August 2026 check contradicts it.
themuslimpress.comThe three status reports
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