Google AI Architect Noam Shazeer Joins Openai Team

WHO:

Fast Company - Noam Shazeer was an early employee at Google in 2000.

Techmeme - Barret Zoph has left OpenAI again after rejoining in January.

Techmeme - Dean Ball is joining OpenAI to lead a new team called Strategic Futures.

Techmeme - OpenAI has hired Dean Ball, a former Trump AI policy official, in the same week as Noam Shazeer's joining.

Fast Company - Noam Shazeer, vice president of engineering at Google and co-lead of Gemini, is leaving Google to join OpenAI.

Techmeme - Noam Shazeer is joining OpenAI as lead for architecture research.

WHAT:

Fast Company - Character.AI was valued at $1 billion during its 2023 Series A funding round.

Fast Company - Google DeepMind hired CEO Varun Mohan and co-founder Douglas Chen from AI coding startup Windsurf for $2.4 billion.

Techmeme - Dean Ball's new team at OpenAI will focus on frontier AI policy and internal governance.

Fast Company - Character.AI and Google agreed to settle multiple lawsuits over teen suicides and mental health harms.

Fast Company - Shazeer’s move to OpenAI is part of the company's strategy to prepare for its anticipated IPO.

Fast Company - Google DeepMind hired CEO Varun Mohan and co-founder Douglas Chen from AI coding startup Windsurf for $2.4 billion.

Fast Company - Shazeer stated, “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.”

Fast Company - Shazeer’s move to OpenAI comes ahead of the company’s anticipated IPO.

Fast Company - OpenAI filed a confidential S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding its IPO, but stated that there is no decisive timeline for when it would go public.

Fast Company - Shazeer is leaving Google to join OpenAI after two years at Google.

Fast Company - Shazeer was credited with helping close the gap between Gemini and ChatGPT’s capabilities.

Fast Company - Shazeer stated, “I’m excited to share that I’ll be joining OpenAI and look forward to working with the exceptional team there.”

Fast Company - Character.AI was valued at $1 billion during its 2023 Series A funding round.

Fast Company - Google stated, “We are grateful for Noam's meaningful contributions to Google over the years.”

WHERE:

Fast Company - Shazeer worked at Google, which is based in Mountain View, California, before joining OpenAI.

WHEN:

Fast Company - Shazeer rejoined Google in 2024 as part of the Character.AI deal.

Fast Company - Shazeer co-authored the research paper “Attention is All You Need” in 2017.

Fast Company - Shazeer left Google in 2021 to co-found Character.AI.

WHY:

Business Insider - OpenAI and Anthropic have become the hottest career destinations in Silicon Valley, drawing a flood of applicants eager to work at the epicenter of the AI boom.

Fast Company - The AI talent wars are intensifying, with companies competing aggressively to attract top talent.

Fast Company - Shazeer critiqued Google for exercising too much caution regarding the release of new products based on transformer-based LLMs.

Fast Company - The AI talent wars are ongoing, with companies competing to attract top talent.

HOW:

Business Insider - OpenAI has about 720 open jobs and is looking to almost double its 4,500-person workforce this year.

Wall Street Journal - Google is providing $3.2 billion to fund a New York data center renting TPUs to Anthropic.

Fast Company - Last year, Microsoft hired two dozen engineers and researchers from Google DeepMind.

Fast Company - Last year, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that Meta tried to lure OpenAI staffers with $100 million signing bonuses.

Fast Company - Google paid $2.7 billion to poach Shazeer and part of his team at Character.AI.

Fast Company - OpenAI has poached enterprise sales and go-to-market talent from companies including Slack, Salesforce, and Snowflake.

(UPDATED June 19, 2026 14:13 UTC)

Character.AI has reached a significant milestone, being valued at $1 billion during its 2023 Series A funding round. In a major move, Google DeepMind has hired CEO Varun Mohan and co-founder Douglas Chen from the AI coding startup Windsurf for a staggering $2.4 billion. Meanwhile, OpenAI and Anthropic are attracting a surge of applicants in Silicon Valley, with OpenAI currently offering around 720 open positions and aiming to nearly double its workforce of 4,500 this year.

(UPDATED June 19, 2026 08:46 UTC)

Barret Zoph has left OpenAI once again after rejoining earlier this year, while Dean Ball is stepping in to lead a new team at the company called Strategic Futures, which will focus on frontier AI policy and internal governance. In related news, Character.AI and Google have reached a settlement over multiple lawsuits concerning teen suicides and mental health issues. Additionally, Google is investing $3.2 billion to fund a New York data center that will rent TPUs to Anthropic.

(UPDATED June 19, 2026 06:43 UTC)

OpenAI has made headlines by hiring Dean Ball, a former Trump AI policy official, alongside Noam Shazeer, who is joining as part of the company's preparations for its anticipated IPO. Meanwhile, Google DeepMind has secured CEO Varun Mohan and co-founder Douglas Chen from AI coding startup Windsurf for a staggering $2.4 billion, highlighting the fierce competition among companies to attract top talent in the AI sector. This trend of aggressive hiring continues, as evidenced by Microsoft’s recruitment of two dozen engineers and researchers from Google DeepMind just last year.

(UPDATED June 19, 2026 01:55 UTC)

In a significant move, Shazeer has announced his departure from Google to join OpenAI, expressing pride in his team and gratitude for the time spent there. This transition comes as OpenAI prepares for its anticipated IPO, having filed a confidential S-1 with the SEC, although no specific timeline for going public has been established. Notably, last year, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed that Meta attempted to attract OpenAI employees with enticing signing bonuses totaling $100 million.

(UPDATED June 18, 2026 23:38 UTC)

Noam Shazeer, the vice president of engineering at Google and co-lead of Gemini, is leaving the tech giant to join OpenAI as the lead for architecture research. Shazeer, who has been credited with bridging the gap between Gemini and ChatGPT’s capabilities, expressed his excitement about the move, stating he looks forward to working with the exceptional team at OpenAI. Google acknowledged his contributions over the years, while the ongoing competition for AI talent continues to heat up as companies strive to attract top experts in the field.