Barret Zoph, the Thinking Machines co-founder who defected to OpenAI, is now at Google
Zoph, who co-founded Thinking Machines Lab alongside Mira Murati and also served as the startup's CTO, led a brief stint at OpenAI and is now at Google.
How it resolved
Will Barret Zoph's role at Google be officially confirmed by September 4, 2026?
Resolved YesResolved by Sep 4, 2026
Zoph has taken a position as vice president of research at Google (which happens to be another company where he previously worked). 'We look forward to Barret returning to Google and bringing his RL and post-training expertise to Gemini,' a Google spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal. [Article published August 27, 2026, before the resolution date of September 4, 2026]
Get smart on it
Barret Zoph, a co-founder of AI startup Thinking Machines, has joined Google as vice president of research, bringing expertise in reinforcement learning and post-training to work on Gemini. Zoph's career has involved multiple moves between major AI companies: he left OpenAI to co-found Thinking Machines, returned to OpenAI after five months at that startup, and then departed OpenAI after only five months to take this Google position. The news reflects broader instability in AI industry leadership, as OpenAI in particular has experienced significant turnover among high-level executives over recent months despite its prominence in the tech world.
Related news
Crusoe reportedly raises $3B at a $30B valuation
The round came together after the data center developer reportedly secured a $13 billion contract with Jane Street.
Accel reportedly in talks to lead $1B round for Thinking Machines at $40B valuation
The high-profile startup's annual revenue run rate stands at over $100 million.
