The prominent researcher is jumping ship at a critical point in the global race to develop the world’s most powerful AI technologies.
Noam Shazeer, the vice-president of engineering at Google and the Gemini AI model co-lead, has announced that he will be leaving the organisation in order to join rival artificial intelligence innovator Open AI.
Shazeer is a key figure in the AI space and his departure comes at a critical moment in the race by organisations to develop the most sophisticated and advanced AI models. Notably, he announced his departure ahead of Anthropic’s plans to become an IPO.
He co-authored a pioneering paper on AI in 2017, exploring the transformer architecture that defines the GenAI of today. He previously left Google in 2021 and founded his own company Character.AI, returning with a team of researchers in 2024, reportedly in a deal valued at roughly $2.7bn.
Commenting in a post on X, Shazeer said, “I’m excited to share that I’ll be joining OpenAI and look forward to working with the exceptional team there. It was a difficult decision to move on. I’m incredibly proud of the amazing team at Google and everything we’ve built together. It has been an honor and a pleasure to work with all of you.”
