Noam Shazeer Leaves Google for OpenAI: AI Talent Shift

A core developer behind large language models, Noam Shazeer, has moved from Google to OpenAI. This comes less than two years after Google recruited Shazeer in a deal valued at $2.7 billion. What's interesting is that Shazeer is considered a founding figure of generative AI. He co-authored a key paper in 2017 that introduced the "attention" concept, fundamental to today's LLMs. After initially leaving Google to co-found Character.AI, Google brought him back in 2024. The $2.7 billion deal was seen by some as a way to secure Shazeer himself. Now, Shazeer has announced on social media that he has joined OpenAI. OpenAI's Chief Research Officer stated Shazeer will research methods for developing next-generation AI models. The bottom line is that this move raises concerns about Google's leadership in generative AI, especially following other talent outflows from its DeepMind lab.