# Thinking Machines Lab is raising $5B led by Accel at a $40B valuation, sources say

Digest AI · Business & Funding · published 2026-11-06T01:15:02Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/thinking-machines-lab-is-raising-5b-led-by-accel-at-a-40b-valuation-so

## Summary

Thinking Machines Lab is close to finalizing a $5 billion funding round led by Accel at a $40 billion pre-money valuation, according to multiple unnamed sources familiar with the deal. The investment could close as early as this week. A representative for the startup declined to comment, while Accel did not respond to inquiries.

The deal would more than triple the startup's previous valuation of over $10 billion, following a $2 billion seed round raised last year prior to launching a product. Founded by former OpenAI chief technology officer Mira Murati, the company previously sought funding at a $50 billion valuation last year before talks broke off.

The startup recently updated its model fine-tuning tool, Tinker, reporting performance gains in AI coding. However, Thinking Machines has faced talent departures amid competition from firms like Meta and OpenAI. Roughly one-third of its founding team has left, including Barret Zoph, Luke Metz, and Andrew Tulloch.

## Key points

- Thinking Machines Lab is reportedly raising $5 billion at a $40 billion pre-money valuation led by Accel.
- The round would triple its previous valuation of more than $10 billion, following a $2 billion seed round last year.
- About a third of the founding team has departed for rivals like OpenAI and Meta, including Barret Zoph, Luke Metz, and Andrew Tulloch.

## Why it matters

The $5 billion deal demonstrates sustained investor appetite for frontier AI labs at multi-billion-dollar valuations, even amid intense executive departures and compensation battles across the sector.

## Sources

1. [Sources: Thinking Machines Lab is raising $5B led by Accel at a $40B pre-money valuation, more than tripling its valuation from its last public round last year](https://businessinsider.com/thinking-machines-lab-is-closing-5-billion-new-round-2026-11) (businessinsider.com, 2026-11-06)

Part of the developing story: [Frontier AI Labs Chase Record Valuations](https://digestai.news/thread/cognition-weighs-new-funding-round-at-70b-80b-valuation) (2 stories)

## Cite

Digest AI, "Thinking Machines Lab is raising $5B led by Accel at a $40B valuation, sources say", 6 November 2026, https://digestai.news/story/thinking-machines-lab-is-raising-5b-led-by-accel-at-a-40b-valuation-so

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