# Ex-OpenAI research chief Bob McGrew’s Arda raises $232M for US factories

- Link: https://www.widthness.com/ex-openai-research-chief-bob-mcgrews-arda-raises-232m-for-us-factories/
- Published: 2026-10-22T09:00:00-05:00
- Author: Curated by John Wysocki

Background image: Robotic arms assembling products on a production line by Magnific. Foreground image: Logo by Arda Industries. Article by Cristian Dina. The Next Web – October 20, 2026. Arda Industries, founded by OpenAI’s former research chief Bob McGrew, has come out of stealth with $232 million in funding, the company announced on Tuesday. Its AI software turns new product designs into working assembly lines. The total includes a $160 million Series A at a $1.5 billion valuation, co-led by Altimeter, Accel and Khosla Ventures. XYZ Venture Capital, 8VC, SV Angel and Felicis also took part. It follows a $72 million seed round led by Accel and Founders Fund. McGrew first spoke about the company to CNBC, in an exclusive interview. […] Click here to view the original article at www.thenextweb.com Related articles: Qualcomm to cut jobs globally in ‘performance-based’ layoffs — CEO says move will build ‘stronger performance culture’ as company pivots to AI data center and edge products – Tom’s Hardware Want a higher paying tech job? Employers seek AI fluency – Computerworld Add ‘post-AI’ encryption to your to-do list – Defense One