AI researcher Noam Shazeer announced overnight, on Thursday, that he is leaving Google and joining OpenAI, marking another round in the fight among tech giants for top talent in artificial intelligence. Shazeer, an observant Jewish scientist and one of the field’s most influential figures, said he was excited to join the company, while also describing the move as a difficult decision after many years at Google.
Shazeer spent nearly 20 years at Google and was one of the authors of the scientific paper that helped lay the groundwork for the technology behind most modern advanced AI models. In 2021 he left the company and founded a chatbot venture that became highly successful and one of the industry’s best-known names.
Three years later, Google made an unusual move to bring him back, along with senior members of his startup team, in a deal worth about $3 billion. The agreement was not structured as a full acquisition and became one of the most discussed transactions in the sector, helping trigger similar moves by other tech companies.
His renewed stint at Google was not without controversy. In recent months, he sparked internal turmoil after harshly criticizing employees who objected to the possible use of the company’s technology in the war in Gaza. His comments led to employee complaints and the removal of some of his posts from internal forums.
After the new move became public, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman praised him and said Shazeer is one of the people he had most wanted to work with since the company’s founding. OpenAI has not yet disclosed his official title or responsibilities.
