The Mark Cuban Podcast: Episode Summary – "Next-Gen Networked Minds"
Release Date: July 19, 2025
In the episode titled "Next-Gen Networked Minds," host Mark Cuban delves into the groundbreaking developments surrounding Miriam Moratti’s AI startup, Thinking Machine Labs—affectionately dubbed "Thinky" by the Twitter community. This episode offers an in-depth exploration of Thinky's recent $2 billion funding round, its ambitious vision, the team behind the venture, and its potential impact on the AI landscape.
1. Introduction to Thinking Machine Labs (Thinky)
Mark Cuban opens the discussion by highlighting the significant achievement of Miriam Moratti in raising $2 billion for her AI enterprise, Thinking Machine Labs. Referred to as Thinky on social media, the startup has garnered attention for its impressive $12 billion valuation even before launching its first product.
Mark Cuban [00:00]: “Miriam Moratti has just raised $2 billion for her AI startup, Thinking Machine Labs, or as everyone on Twitter is calling it, Thinky. ... it has a $12 billion valuation before ever launching a product. So this is really quite impressive.”
2. Miriam Moratti’s Background and Leadership
Miriam Moratti is portrayed as a formidable figure in the AI sector, with a commendable track record from her tenure at OpenAI. As a founding team member, she briefly served as interim CEO and was pivotal as CTO, overseeing the development of significant products like OpenAI’s image generator.
Mark Cuban [Transcript Reference]: “She went on Twitter recently and was tweeting about this. ... She was the interim CEO for, I think, one or two days at OpenAI. ... she was in charge of a lot of the most impressive products that came out of OpenAI, including, I believe, their image generator.”
Her leadership and expertise have been instrumental in positioning Thinky as a serious contender in the AI landscape, attracting top-tier talent and substantial investment.
3. Massive Funding and Valuation
Thinky's latest funding round is one of the most substantial seed investments in Silicon Valley's history. Led by the premier venture capital firm 16Z, the round saw participation from industry giants like Nvidia, AMD, Cisco, and Jane Street. The valuation has surged from an initial $10 billion to $12 billion, underscoring investor confidence.
Mark Cuban [Transcript Reference]: “They had participation from Nvidia who always just puts in money for any new AI startup that looks serious because they know they're going to have to buy Nvidia GPUs. ... ServiceNow, Cisco, AMD, Jane street and a bunch of others.”
This infusion of capital not only validates Thinky's potential but also enables the startup to scale rapidly, invest in cutting-edge technologies, and attract top talent.
4. Vision and Product Roadmap
Thinky aims to revolutionize AI by focusing on "collaborative general intelligence." The startup is committed to developing multimodal AI systems that integrate seamlessly with natural human interactions—through conversation, vision, and collaborative processes.
Miriam Moratti [Quoted by Mark Cuban]: “Thinking Machine Lab exists to empower humanity through advancing collaborative general intelligence. We're building multimodal AI that works with how you naturally interact with the world through, through conversation, through sight, through the messy way we collaborate. We're excited that in the next couple of months we'll be able to share our first product.”
This vision suggests that Thinky’s AI will not only handle text and audio but is also poised to incorporate video and image generation, leveraging Miriam’s extensive background at OpenAI.
5. Collaborative AI: A Unique Differentiator
A standout feature of Thinky is its emphasis on collaboration. The platform is designed to facilitate teamwork, allowing multiple users to interact within the same AI thread. This approach is particularly suited for enterprise environments and teams, enabling shared conversations and collaborative problem-solving.
Mark Cuban [Transcript Reference]: “The keyword here, the reason that she's making money and the way she's differentiating herself is the word 'collaborative.' ... She literally puts this in the title. Advancing collaborative general intelligence.”
This collaborative aspect sets Thinky apart from other AI models, potentially making it a preferred tool for businesses and research teams seeking integrated AI solutions.
6. Open Source Commitment and Research Contributions
Thinky is committed to contributing to the broader AI community through open-source tools and sharing groundbreaking research. The first product slated for release will include significant open-source components, aimed at aiding researchers and startups in developing custom AI models.
Miriam Moratti [Quoted by Mark Cuban]: “... share our first product which will include a significant open source component and be useful for researchers and startups developing custom models. ... soon we'll also share our best science to help the research community better understand frontier AI systems.”
By embracing open-source principles, Thinky not only fosters innovation but also promotes transparency and collaboration within the AI research community.
7. Strategic Partnerships and Collaborations
Thinky's strategic partnership with Google Cloud positions it advantageously to leverage robust infrastructure for training its AI models. This collaboration ensures that Thinky has access to the necessary computational resources to develop and scale its multimodal AI systems efficiently.
Mark Cuban [Transcript Reference]: “We know they are to have a partnership with Google, that they made Google Cloud in the past to do a lot of this. So they have the partners in place, they have the money, they're going to be training their own models.”
8. Team Excellence and Talent Acquisition
The strength of Thinky lies in its exceptional team, comprising former OpenAI colleagues and leading researchers in the AI field. Miriam Moratti actively seeks talented individuals who have a proven track record in building successful AI-driven products.
Mark Cuban [Transcript Reference]: “Since Miria started this whole company, she has a really incredible team that she's been able to pull together. ... she specifically says she's looking for people that have quote, that are quote building successful AI driven products from the ground up.”
This focus on assembling top-tier talent ensures that Thinky is well-equipped to innovate and maintain a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving AI sector.
9. Market Position and Competitive Landscape
Thinky is positioned as a legitimate threat to established AI models from industry leaders like OpenAI, Anthropics, and DeepMind. The substantial funding and high-profile team suggest that Thinky could emerge as a formidable competitor, potentially introducing disruptive advancements in AI capabilities.
Mark Cuban [Transcript Reference]: “... according to TechCrunch, like opening Anthropics DeepMind. ... it’s a quote unquote legitimate threat to leading AI models. ... XAI was able to come up with Grok and built spin up a bunch of, you know, data centers and AI tools very quickly ...”
The episode underscores the importance of competition in the AI field, highlighting how Thinky’s innovative approach and resources could drive the entire industry forward.
10. Future Prospects and Industry Impact
Looking ahead, Mark Cuban expresses optimism about Thinky's potential to contribute significantly to the AI ecosystem. With plans to release a versatile AI product that supports collaborative interactions and open-source research, Thinky is poised to influence both commercial applications and academic advancements.
Mark Cuban [Transcript Reference]: “This is absolutely it's going to be an incredible uphill battle to watch as she brings her company to the forefront and competes potentially head on with a lot of the other big players.”
The episode concludes with anticipation for Thinky's upcoming product launch and its implications for the future of AI collaboration and innovation.
Notable Audience Reactions and Community Engagement
The podcast also touches upon the community's response to Thinky's developments. Tweets from industry observers and followers reflect a mix of humor and enthusiasm, with mentions of Thinky's nickname and excitement for its upcoming product.
Mark Cuban [Transcript Reference]: “The responses on X have been kind of funny. Dylan Patel said, please honor the nickname everyone uses. Thinky. ... someone said, looking forward to Thinky's first product.”
This engagement signifies strong community interest and support for Thinky's initiatives.
Conclusion
Mark Cuban’s exploration of Miriam Moratti’s Thinking Machine Labs paints a picture of a high-stakes, high-potential venture in the AI domain. With substantial funding, a visionary approach to collaborative intelligence, a stellar team, and strategic partnerships, Thinky stands at the forefront of next-generation AI development. As the startup gears up to unveil its first product, the anticipation within the tech and business communities continues to grow, setting the stage for what could be a transformative player in the artificial intelligence landscape.
Stay Informed and Engaged
For listeners eager to keep abreast of the latest AI models and innovations discussed on the podcast, Mark Cuban promotes his own startup, AI Box—a beta playground platform offering access to the top 40 AI models across text, image, and audio domains. Subscribers can experiment with various models, compare responses, and access benchmark data for a monthly fee of $20.
Mark Cuban [Transcript Reference]: “... AI Box. AI, that's my own startup. We just launched our beta playground platform where you can go try the top 40 models. ... it's all on there. So if you want to check it out, AI Box AI. There is a link in the description.”
Listeners are encouraged to explore AI Box and support the podcast by leaving ratings or reviews.
End of Summary