Co-lead of the Gemini project Noam Shazeer joins OpenAI, leaving Google.

Noam Shazeer leaves Google for OpenAI amid its preparation for IPO

Google’s Vice President of Engineering, Noam Shazeer, has decided to leave the company and join OpenAI amid the latter’s preparation for going public.

Noam Shazeer announced on the social network X his move to OpenAI, noting that it was a “difficult decision.” He expressed gratitude to the Google team for their shared achievements. His departure from Google is part of transformational changes within the company, where he and his colleague Daniel De Freitas returned in 2024 to work in the DeepMind division. This decision was made following a partnership agreement with Character.AI, a startup founded by Shazeer and De Freitas in 2021 after their initial departure from the company.

Shazeer’s transition to OpenAI coincides with the company’s preparation for an IPO (Initial Public Offering). OpenAI has filed a confidential IPO application with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Although the exact timing of going public has not been determined, the company plans to conduct a tender offer for employees with the possibility of selling some shares at the latest business valuation.

As CNBC notes, the latest valuation of OpenAI amounted to $852 billion after attracting investments. The company is working with investment banks Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley on the IPO preparation.