Google Set to Lose 2 More Gemini Researchers to Anthropic as AI Talent Fight Intensifies
Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 24
Google Set to Lose 2 More Gemini Researchers to Anthropic as AI Talent Fight Intensifies
3 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 24
Summary
Jonas Adler and Alexander Pritzel are planning to leave Google for Anthropic, adding two more high-profile defections from the team behind Gemini.
Both were seen internally as key contributors—Adler on AI coding and Pritzel on model training—deepening concerns about Google’s ability to hold top AI talent.
The moves follow John Jumper’s switch to Anthropic and Noam Shazeer’s move to OpenAI in recent days, departures that unsettled investors and renewed doubts about Google’s AI position.
Pre-IPO upside at Anthropic and OpenAI is helping lure Big Tech researchers, while internal fights over scarce computing power have also fueled exits; one of Shazeer’s projects lost compute to a London DeepMind team.
Google says it remains confident in its talent bench, with DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis calling the market for AI researchers the fiercest competition the tech industry has seen.
Is Google's AI brain drain about startup money, or do internal issues reveal a deeper crisis at the tech giant?
With its star researchers gone, can Google's new AI model prove it is still leading the race for artificial intelligence?
Is the war for AI talent a sideshow to the real battle over controlling massive computing infrastructure?
Google DeepMind Loses Two Top AI Researchers in 48 Hours: $180B AI Bet Faces Talent War and Stock Shock
Overview
Just days before June 24, 2026, Google DeepMind faced a major shock when two of its top AI researchers, Noam Shazeer and John Jumper, left the company within 48 hours. Their high-profile departures sent shockwaves through the AI industry and immediately impacted Alphabet, Google's parent company. The exits triggered a notable drop in Alphabet's stock value and raised serious questions about its ability to compete in the ongoing AI talent war. The combined news of both researchers leaving rattled investors, highlighting the growing challenge for tech giants to retain leading AI talent in a fiercely competitive landscape.