Barret Zoph, co-founder of The Thinking Machines who was recruited to lead multimodal AI research at OpenAI, has instead joined Google, according to a TechCrunch report.
What Happened
Zoph helped establish The Thinking Machines as its co-founder before the company announced his planned departure. According to TechCrunch, he was expected to take a position leading multimodal AI work at OpenAI. Instead, Zoph is now working at Google. TechCrunch reported no details on Zoph's specific title or team at Google, and did not report why he chose Google's Gemini division over his planned role at OpenAI.
Why It Matters
Zoph's decision to join Google rather than follow through on an expected executive position at OpenAI signals the intense bidding war for elite AI researchers across frontier labs. As a co-founder who helped build The Thinking Machines and was recruited by OpenAI to helm its multimodal efforts, his pivot to Google's Gemini team comes as Alphabet has been expanding its roster of high-profile AI talent capable of building products that compete with OpenAI's offerings.
The Bottom Line
Barret Zoph has moved from co-founding The Thinking Machines through an expected executive role at OpenAI to landing at Google. TechCrunch reported no details on his specific position or the factors behind his choice, but his trajectory underscores the fierce competition for top AI leadership.