The cruelest side of startups is often hidden behind the highlights of product releases.
Just as Thinking Machines Lab was launching the important Inkling model, co-founder Lilian Weng sent a farewell letter to the team.
In the past seven months, repeated illness, persistent high-pressure and prolonged overload work has pushed her body to the brink of being unbearable.
"I still love AI, but I have to admit that my health is no longer able to keep up with the pace demanded by a startup".
After 20 months of co-founding and working with Thinking Machines Lab, Aung San Suu Kyi announced that tomorrow would be her last day at the company.
"The future that deserves to be built must be human".
Mira Murati, co-founder and CEO of Thinking Machines Lab, said, "We will miss you. Building Thinking Machines Lab with you has been a wonderful experience. I'm glad you put your health first. Thank you for everything you've done".
On social media, Aung San Suu Kyi has also received a lot of encouragement and affirmations. Among them, she was mentioned in a speech at the OpenAI event in 2019 and noted that her speeches and blogs have always had a far-reaching impact, which I believe everyone who reads Aung San Suu Kyi's work will agree with.
The following is the Chinese edition of the farewell letter:
It's all about the team.
I'm sorry, I've been away for a month. And congratulations on completing a great model release!Inkling is a very important and very remarkable milestone in the company's development process.
But I also regret to tell you that tomorrow will be my last day at the Thinking Machines Lab.
In the process of building a new laboratory, we had a lot of laughs and a lot of challenges, but I realized that I was no longer able to keep up with the pace of work required by startups.
In the last seven months, I have had more frequent and severe illnesses than at any other stage of my life.
It was a very difficult decision. On the one hand, I am very unwilling to disappoint anyone at Thinking Machines Lab and would blame myself for it; on the other hand, I have always been worried about my health.
After months of reflection, I finally had to admit that the constant stress and workload was beyond my body's capacity.
I also tried to take a serious rest, a normal sick leave, when the whole company was pushing for Inkling. But when everyone was pushing forward, and I could only stop, that kind of rest, a state of struggle with guilt, was not acceptable.
I have also considered reducing the scope of my responsibilities to reduce anxiety. But this is not in line with my character. If I can't give my 100 percent effort for what I am responsible for, I will feel like I haven't done the job well.
I still love AI, and I still like to learn about the cutting edge of progress by reading papers. So, in the next phase of my life, a clearer boundary, a more predictable work environment, may be more suitable for me. I'm no longer fit to continue as co-founder.
I'm sorry to have made this decision in the end and I'm sorry to disappoint you.
At the same time, I am very happy to see Inkling's success and to see the company moving forward around a more unified, clearer vision.
Before Thinking Machines Lab was officially born, I was a part of it. I witnessed and experienced all the ups and downs the company has gone through.
Twenty months in my life is not a long time, but in such a competitive industry, it's like a long and full life experience.
Thinking Machines Lab will always have a special place in my heart. In the future, I will continue to fuel you all out there.
The future worth building should be human.
The link is as follows: