One of Google's most prominent researchers is moving to OpenAI, in what could be a serious blow to Alphabet in the multibillion-dollar race to build the world's most powerful artificial intelligence models.
One of Google's most prominent researchers is moving to OpenAI, in what could be a serious blow to Alphabet in the multibillion-dollar race to build the world's most powerful artificial intelligence models.
Noam Shazir, co-author of the fundamental research that gave impetus to the artificial intelligence boom, announced his departure from the company in a post on the X platform, writes Bloomberg.
“I am excited to share the news that I am joining OpenAI and look forward to working with the exceptional team there.
"Moving on was a difficult decision. I am incredibly proud of the amazing team at Google and everything we have built together. It has been an honor and a great pleasure to work with each and every one of you," Shazir wrote.
I'm excited to share that I'll be joining OpenAI and look forward to working with the exceptional team there.
— Noam Shazeer (@NoamShazeer) June 18, 2026
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…
OpenAI Research Director Mark Chen said that Shazir will lead the research direction of artificial intelligence architecture — in effect, he will study exactly how to build models.
Shazir's departure comes at a pivotal moment for Google, as the company competes with OpenAI, Anthropic, and Elon Musk's xAI in this critically important industry.
Google shares have surged in recent months on the back of hype about the company’s massive role in developing AI models, the chips to power them, and consumer apps with a multibillion-dollar audience. But Google has lagged behind in selling AI-based code-writing tools for businesses. Former employees say the company’s own researchers have to navigate internal bureaucratic infighting to gain access to its computing power.
Shazir co-authored “Attention Is All You Need,” a 2017 Google paper that described the transformer architecture that underlies modern generative AI. According to his personal website, he joined the American company in 2000 and was a key contributor to the search engine’s error correction system and advertising technologies.
He left the company in 2021 to found chatbot startup Character.AI after Google showed a slow pace in releasing products based on generative AI. Returning in 2024 as part of a deal that valued his firm at $2.5 billion , Shazir became one of the leaders in the development of the company’s flagship AI model, Gemini.
“We are grateful to Noam for his significant contributions to Google over the years and wish him all the best,” a Google spokesperson said in an email.
