Google Gemini Co-Lead Noam Shazeer Leaves for OpenAI After $2.7 Billion Return

3 articles · Updated · Reuters · Jun 18

Noam Shazeer said Wednesday he is leaving Google to join IPO-bound OpenAI, a surprise move by one of the key leaders behind Gemini.
The departure underscores the AI talent war as companies race to build more advanced models; Shazeer was credited with helping Gemini narrow the gap with ChatGPT.
Google reportedly spent $2.7 billion less than two years ago to bring back Shazeer, the former Character.AI leader, along with a team of researchers.
Shazeer joined Google in 2000 and co-authored the 2017 paper widely seen as a catalyst for the generative AI boom, highlighting the strategic weight of his move.

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Noam Shazeer Joins OpenAI: Inside the $2.7 Billion AI Talent War and Google’s Strategic Setback

Overview

On June 17, 2026, Noam Shazeer, a key figure in AI and co-author of the influential 2017 research paper that sparked the modern AI boom, left Google to join OpenAI. Shazeer's career has been marked by major moves, including leaving Google in 2021 to lead Character.ai after Google hesitated to support his advanced chatbot work. His return to Google in 2024 was driven by a major licensing deal, but his swift departure to OpenAI highlights the fierce competition for top AI talent and the ongoing shifts among leading tech companies in the race to shape the future of artificial intelligence.

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