The OpenAI mafia is reshaping Silicon Valley, with alumni launching 18 notable startups that rival the legendary PayPal mafia in influence and funding.
As OpenAI eyes an $850 billion valuation amid a potential $100 billion funding round, a wave of talented ex-employees has fueled this explosive startup ecosystem.
Standout Startups Leading the Charge
Anthropic, founded by former OpenAI executives Dario and Daniela Amodei, has emerged as its fiercest rival with $30 billion raised and a $380 billion valuation.
Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI's ex-chief scientist, launched Safe Superintelligence (SSI), securing $2 billion at a $32 billion valuation focused on safe AGI.
Perplexity, an AI-powered search engine co-founded by ex-OpenAI researcher Aravind Srinivas, boasts a $20 billion valuation after raising $200 million.
Periodic Labs, started by Liam Fedus who led post-training research at OpenAI, emerged from stealth with a massive $300 million seed for AI-driven materials discovery.
Broad Impact Across AI Sectors
Alumni like Andrej Karpathy power Eureka Labs, creating AI teaching assistants, while others target robotics, climate tech, and enterprise tools.
This talent exodus has injected billions into the AI sector, with startups like Adept AI and Cresta attracting top VCs despite early stages.
Historically, the mafia traces back to OpenAI's 2016 robotics efforts, evolving into a network where alumni now invest in each other.
Investors such as Jeff Bezos and Andreessen Horowitz pour funds into these ventures, betting on proven OpenAI pedigrees even pre-product.
Looking ahead, IPOs from Anthropic and others signal a maturing ecosystem that could dominate AI's future.
The OpenAI mafia underscores how one company's success spawns an industry-wide renaissance, driving innovation and competition.
Alfred Lee
