Google Loses 2 Top AI Researchers to Anthropic and OpenAI as Stock Holds Near $368
Updated
Updated · ts2.tech · Jun 19
Google Loses 2 Top AI Researchers to Anthropic and OpenAI as Stock Holds Near $368
3 articles · Updated · ts2.tech · Jun 19
Summary
John Jumper, a Nobel-winning AlphaFold scientist, said he will leave Google DeepMind after nearly nine years to join Anthropic, adding to Alphabet’s senior AI talent losses.
Noam Shazeer’s move to OpenAI came just before Jumper’s exit, sharpening concern that Google is losing ground in the frontier-model race even as analysts say it remains well positioned.
Alphabet closed Thursday at $368.03, up 2.3% for the week, with the muted share reaction suggesting investors see the departures as a longer-term competitive risk rather than an immediate earnings hit.
Google is trying to offset that pressure by turning its AI stack into revenue—Google Cloud revenue jumped 63% to $20 billion in Q1, and the company is pushing TPUs through cloud sales, direct sales and financing guarantees.
That strategy carries high stakes because Alphabet expects $180 billion to $190 billion in capital spending this year; Monday’s market reaction may show whether talent retention is becoming a material investor concern.