Google's star AI engineer joins OpenAI, months after Google spent over $2 billion to rehire him
Noam Shazeer has left Google to join OpenAI after co-leading Gemini and founding Character.AI. The move highlights the intensifying battle among AI companies to secure top talent.
Artificial intelligence is often portrayed as a technology that could replace millions of jobs. But as AI booms, a different battle is unfolding behind the scenes. Tech companies are fighting fiercely to hire and keep the people building the technology itself. And in the latest twist in this AI talent war, OpenAI has managed to lure away one of Google's biggest AI stars. Noam Shazeer, a co-lead at Gemini and the founder of Character.AI, is leaving Google to join OpenAI.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Shazeer announced his departure and said he was looking forward to working with the "exceptional team" at the ChatGPT maker.
"It was a difficult decision to move on. I'm incredibly proud of the amazing team at Google and everything we've built together," Shazeer wrote. "It has been an honor and a pleasure to work with all of you."
A prized recruit for OpenAI
Shazeer's move to the IPO-bound company is the latest in a series of high-profile talent reshuffles across the AI industry. Companies including OpenAI, Google, Meta and Anthropic are offering top researchers and engineers enormous pay packages and devising complex acqui-hire deals to persuade them to switch sides.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman made no secret of how much he wanted Shazeer on his team.
In a post on X, Altman wrote:
"Noam is one of the people I have most wanted to work with since the very beginning of openai. only took 10 years. i think it will be worth the wait!"
The AI pioneer Google fought to bring back
Shazeer isn't just another AI executive. He joined Google in 2000 and remained with the company, apart from a three-year stint when he left to co-found the chatbot startup Character.AI. In 2024, Google rehired the founders and secured non-exclusive rights to use Character.AI's technology. The startup continues to operate as a separate legal entity.
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Google paid Character.AI $2.7 billion as part of a special arrangement that gave it access to the startup's technology and included an agreement requiring Shazeer to return to Google. That is what makes his departure even more striking.
Reacting to the news, one X user described it as a brutal blow for Google.
"Noam Shazeer, the AI legend Google paid $2.7B to bring back two years ago, has left Google, to join OpenAI. Brutal news for Gemini."
In 2025, Google found itself grappling with a very different kind of challenge: Shazeer's outspoken online views. According to a report by The Information, Shazeer clashed with colleagues on internal forums over posts about gender and Gaza. Moderators reportedly removed some of his comments after he shared personal views that sparked heated debate inside the company.
One of the architects of modern AI
Shazeer has been a key figure in Google's AI efforts for years. He co-authored a landmark research paper in 2017 that is widely regarded as laying the foundation for today's large language models — the technology powering chatbots such as ChatGPT and Gemini.
His move is a reminder that while AI may eventually transform how millions of people work, the companies leading the revolution are locked in a battle of their own. And in this race, talent may prove to be just as valuable as technology.
Artificial intelligence is often portrayed as a technology that could replace millions of jobs. But as AI booms, a different battle is unfolding behind the scenes. Tech companies are fighting fiercely to hire and keep the people building the technology itself. And in the latest twist in this AI talent war, OpenAI has managed to lure away one of Google's biggest AI stars. Noam Shazeer, a co-lead at Gemini and the founder of Character.AI, is leaving Google to join OpenAI.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Shazeer announced his departure and said he was looking forward to working with the "exceptional team" at the ChatGPT maker.
"It was a difficult decision to move on. I'm incredibly proud of the amazing team at Google and everything we've built together," Shazeer wrote. "It has been an honor and a pleasure to work with all of you."
A prized recruit for OpenAI
Shazeer's move to the IPO-bound company is the latest in a series of high-profile talent reshuffles across the AI industry. Companies including OpenAI, Google, Meta and Anthropic are offering top researchers and engineers enormous pay packages and devising complex acqui-hire deals to persuade them to switch sides.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman made no secret of how much he wanted Shazeer on his team.
In a post on X, Altman wrote:
"Noam is one of the people I have most wanted to work with since the very beginning of openai. only took 10 years. i think it will be worth the wait!"
The AI pioneer Google fought to bring back
Shazeer isn't just another AI executive. He joined Google in 2000 and remained with the company, apart from a three-year stint when he left to co-found the chatbot startup Character.AI. In 2024, Google rehired the founders and secured non-exclusive rights to use Character.AI's technology. The startup continues to operate as a separate legal entity.
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Google paid Character.AI $2.7 billion as part of a special arrangement that gave it access to the startup's technology and included an agreement requiring Shazeer to return to Google. That is what makes his departure even more striking.
Reacting to the news, one X user described it as a brutal blow for Google.
"Noam Shazeer, the AI legend Google paid $2.7B to bring back two years ago, has left Google, to join OpenAI. Brutal news for Gemini."
In 2025, Google found itself grappling with a very different kind of challenge: Shazeer's outspoken online views. According to a report by The Information, Shazeer clashed with colleagues on internal forums over posts about gender and Gaza. Moderators reportedly removed some of his comments after he shared personal views that sparked heated debate inside the company.
One of the architects of modern AI
Shazeer has been a key figure in Google's AI efforts for years. He co-authored a landmark research paper in 2017 that is widely regarded as laying the foundation for today's large language models — the technology powering chatbots such as ChatGPT and Gemini.
His move is a reminder that while AI may eventually transform how millions of people work, the companies leading the revolution are locked in a battle of their own. And in this race, talent may prove to be just as valuable as technology.
