On Feb. 20, 2026, a report highlighted the growing influence of former OpenAI employees who have founded or contributed to a range of prominent startups in the artificial intelligence and technology industries. The article details at least eighteen companies established by OpenAI alumni, some of which have achieved significant valuations and attracted major investments.
The trend underscores the expanding network of ex-OpenAI staff shaping innovation beyond their original company. Several of these startups are now considered key players or direct competitors in the AI sector, with some raising substantial funding rounds or preparing for public offerings.
Among the most notable ventures is Anthropic, founded by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei along with John Schulman. The company has focused on AI safety and recently raised a $30 billion Series G round, reaching a $380 billion valuation. Another example is Adept AI Labs, co-founded by David Luan after his tenure as OpenAI’s engineering vice president; it last raised $350 million at a valuation exceeding $1 billion before Luan moved to Amazon’s AI agents lab.
Other startups include Applied Compute, Covariant, Cresta, Daedalus, Eureka Labs, Kindo, Living Carbon, Periodic Labs, Perplexity, Pilot, Prosper Robotics, Safe Superintelligence (SSI), Stem AI (now Softmax), Thinking Machines Lab, xAI (acquired by SpaceX), and Worktrace AI. These companies span applications from enterprise AI tools to robotics and climate-focused biotechnology.
The report also notes that several former OpenAI employees are working on stealth startups not yet publicly disclosed. According to TechCrunch’s roundup here, this list is expected to grow as more alumni pursue entrepreneurial ventures.
