Meet man who rejected Rs 1.5 billion job offer from Mark Zuckerberg, now his startup is valued at..., check his viral LinkedIn story

It’s not every day you hear about someone saying no to a job offer worth around Rs 1.5 billion. But that’s exactly what Australian computer scientist Andrew Tulloch has done, and his decision has made headlines around the world. Tulloch is no ordinary tech professional. He began his career as a strategist at Goldman Sachs, one of the biggest names in global finance. He then studied mathematical statistics at the University of Cambridge, graduating with distinction. After that, he moved into the tech industry, working for some of the biggest companies in the world. Over the years, he has been part of major projects at Facebook (now Meta) and later at OpenAI, the company best known for creating ChatGPT.

In October 2023, Tulloch left Meta after more than a decade and joined OpenAI. But his time there was short-lived. Within a year, he teamed up with former OpenAI Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati to start a new company called Thinking Machines Lab. The company has not yet launched any products but is already valued at a staggering USD 12 billion. This has caught the attention of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has been trying to recruit AI researchers from Thinking Machines Lab for his own new AI superintelligence team. Tulloch himself reportedly received an offer from Meta which could have made him Rs 1.5 billion richer over six years, depending on bonuses and stock performance.

However, Tulloch turned down the offer. The Wall Street Journal first reported the story, though Meta later claimed the details were exaggerated. Even so, many people online are impressed by Tulloch’s decision. Instead of joining an already established tech giant, Tulloch has chosen to focus on building something new from the ground up. His refusal of such a huge offer is seen as proof that, for some, innovation and independence are worth more than money. In a world where billion-dollar offers are rarely rejected, Andrew Tulloch’s decision is making a big impact.