Five months after returning to OpenAI, Barret Zoph, the company’s head of enterprise AI sales, has once again departed. He rejoined OpenAI from his stint as co-founder at Mira Murati’s competitor, Thinking Machines Lab.

Zoph originally left OpenAI in fall 2024 for Murati’s lab but briefly returned to OpenAI this January before the latest departure. The moves highlight the intense competition and shifting alliances within the AI industry, where roles can change as quickly as market dynamics.

At Thinking Machines Lab, Zoph was replaced as CTO by someone else after his abrupt exit in January 2026, following reports of misconduct involving an undisclosed relationship with a colleague. Meanwhile, OpenAI continues its shift towards enterprise-focused revenue streams, having vowed to stop pursuing side quests and concentrate on key drivers ahead of its planned IPO.

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