Noam Shazeer, a co-lead at Google’s Gemini and founder of Character.AI, said he is leaving Google and joining OpenAI. His move follows years of talent reshuffling across major AI labs and comes amid a past, business-heavy re-engagement between Google and Chara
Noam Shazeer didn’t wait for a formal corporate memo. On Wednesday, the Gemini co-lead and founder of Character.AI used an X post to tell his followers he was moving on from Google—and heading to OpenAI, where he said he is looking forward to working with the “exceptional team” behind ChatGPT.
“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.”
For Google, Shazeer’s departure is another twist in the current scramble for AI talent. For Shazeer, it’s also a return to the center of the race with a single, clear message: he believes the next chapter will be built at OpenAI.
He joined Google in 2000 and stayed there for years, aside from a three-year period when he left to cofound the chatbot-building startup Character.AI. In 2024, Google rehired the founders and paid for non-exclusive rights to use the startup’s technology. Character.AI remains a separate legal entity.
The business stakes around that relationship were laid bare the same year. 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. That reporting also said there was an agreement requiring Shazeer to work for Google again.
Shazeer’s technical influence on Google’s AI trajectory goes back further. He was a key part of Google’s early AI development efforts, and a 2017 paper he coauthored is widely viewed as a “kickstarter” for today’s large language models.
Now. with Shazeer moving to an IPO-bound company. the familiar pattern comes into focus: top researchers and engineers at AI labs—including OpenAI. Google. Meta. and Anthropic—are being pulled into expensive new arrangements. The competition has turned into a bidding war for people and ideas. with enormous pay packages and complex acqui-hire deals designed to make the jump worthwhile.
For Google. Shazeer’s exit lands at the point where those internal investments in talent and technology are supposed to stabilize. Instead. it underscores how quickly the AI talent map can change when the next offer arrives—and how often the decisions are framed not as ordinary career moves. but as hard calls about where the future work will happen.
Noam Shazeer Google Gemini Character.AI OpenAI ChatGPT AI talent war acqui-hire large language models Wall Street Journal non-exclusive rights $2.7 billion
So basically Google got outbid again, cool cool.
Wait, Character.AI is still a separate company but Google paid $2.7 billion?? That sounds like Google buying the whole thing without buying it? Idk.
This is probably because Google’s ChatGPT is “lagging” or whatever. But also Character.AI tech rights sounds like some contract loophole and now OpenAI swooped in? Makes sense i guess.
I don’t even know who this guy is, but if he’s going to OpenAI then it’s like the rich AI people are just playing musical chairs again. The Wall Street Journal part about needing him to work for Google again… that’s kinda wild. Also “IPO-bound company” like OpenAI is about to IPO? Feels like all of this is just money talk not innovation.