Noam Shazeer, one of the most influential figures in modern artificial intelligence, has left Google to join rival OpenAI, according to multiple reports.
Shazeer was a co-author of the 2017 research paper "Attention Is All You Need," which introduced the Transformer architecture. As the sources note, that architecture now powers today's leading AI models. At Google he served as a VP of Engineering and a co-lead of Gemini, the company's flagship AI system, per TIKR.com and LinkedIn.
The timing is notable. According to LinkedIn, the move comes less than two years after Google brought Shazeer back into the fold. Tech Times frames the departure against the roughly $2.7 billion Google spent in connection with his return — underscoring how costly it was to secure him in the first place, only to lose him to a competitor.
Markets took note. TechStock² reported that Alphabet shares edged lower, trading near $362, after news that the Gemini engineer was headed to OpenAI.
The headlines across outlets capture the symbolism: Startup Fortune called him "the man who invented the transformer," while Tech Times described the "Transformer Architect Behind Gemini" jumping ship.
Why it matters: in an AI race where breakthroughs hinge on a small number of elite researchers, the defection of a foundational figure from Google to OpenAI signals just how fierce — and expensive — the competition for top talent has become.