A Google veteran who founded Character.AI is jumping to OpenAI

Noam Shazeer, a Google veteran and founder of Character.AI, is leaving Google to join OpenAI, marking another major talent reshuffle in the AI industry. Shazeer co-led Google's Gemini project and co-authored a seminal 2017 paper on large language models. His move follows Google's $2.7 billion deal with Character.AI in 2024 that required him to return to Google.

Noam Shazeer, a co-lead at Gemini and the founder of Character.AI is leaving Google to join OpenAI https://www.businessinsider.com/gary-marcus-ai-openai-ipo-nvidia-orcl-nvda-crwv-02026-6 in the latest AI talent war move. In an X post on Wednesday, Shazeer announced his departure and said he looks 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." The Gemini co-lead joined Google in 2000 and stayed with the company, aside from a three-year period when he left to cofound the chatbot-building startup Character.AI https://www.businessinsider.com/google-character-ai-settling-lawsuits-teen-suicides-new-york-texas-2026-1 . In 2024, the search giant rehired the founders and paid for non-exclusive rights to use the startup's technology. Character.AI remains a separate legal entity. In 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported that Google paid Character.AI $2.7 billion for a special deal that gave Google access to the startup's technology, and an agreement that Shazeer would have to work for Google again. Shazeer was a key part of Google's early AI development efforts. A 2017 paper he coauthored is largely seen as the kickstarter to present-day large language models. Shazeer's move to the IPO-bound company is the latest in a series of top-talent reshuffles at AI heavyweights. Labs, including OpenAI, Google, Meta, and Anthropic, are offering top researchers and engineers enormous pay packages https://www.businessinsider.com/top-paying-ai-internships-fellowships-residencies-openai-anthropic-meta-google-2025-12 anthropic-safety-fellow-1 and devising complex acqui-hire deals to incentivize them to make the jump.