Google AI executive Noam Shazeer, one of the co-leads behind the company’s Gemini models, is leaving the company to join OpenAI, according to a post he made Wednesday on X.
Shazeer’s move comes after a brief return to Google and highlights how aggressively major tech companies are competing for senior AI researchers and engineers. In his post, he said he was excited to join OpenAI and work with its team, while also describing his departure from Google as a difficult decision. He added that he is proud of the work his team accomplished at Google.
Shazeer held the role of vice president of engineering at Google and helped lead development on Gemini, the company’s flagship artificial intelligence models. He rejoined Google in August 2024 as part of an arrangement tied to the company’s partnership with Character.AI, the startup he co-founded with fellow researcher Daniel De Freitas after both left Google in 2021.
The two researchers had originally left Google after the company declined to push forward aggressively on a chatbot project they had supported. After departing, they built Character.AI into one of the best-known startups in the AI sector.
Google’s decision to bring Shazeer and De Freitas back into its DeepMind AI division underscored how important experienced AI talent had become to the company as it expanded its model and product lineup.
Shazeer’s departure is the latest sign of the high-stakes competition among leading AI firms for researchers with track records in building advanced models. Companies including Google and OpenAI have been racing to attract talent capable of shaping the next generation of consumer and enterprise AI tools.
The move also arrives shortly after Google introduced a set of new AI products at its annual I/O developer conference, including Gemini 3.5 Flash and a new Gemini Spark AI agent. The timing adds another layer of pressure for Google as it tries to show momentum in its AI strategy.
For OpenAI, the hire brings in an engineer with deep experience in large-scale model development and a history of shaping some of the industry’s most watched AI efforts. OpenAI, best known for ChatGPT, also recently took a major step toward going public by confidentially filing for an initial public offering earlier this month.
That filing set expectations for one of the most closely followed technology listings in years, even as the company continues to expand its business and compete for technical leadership in a crowded market.
Shazeer’s exit leaves Google without one of the key figures associated with Gemini’s development, though the company has continued to release new products and position its AI efforts as central to its future. His move to OpenAI reflects a broader pattern in the sector, where leading researchers are frequently courted by rivals seeking an edge in model performance, product development and long-term innovation.