The article reports that Barret Zoph, a co-founder of the AI startup Thinking Machines, has transitioned to a new role at Google. Zoph initially left OpenAI in 2022 to co-found Thinking Machines with Mira Murati. However, he and another co-founder, Luke Metz, departed Thinking Machines in January 2024 to return to OpenAI, with Zoph later being revealed to have been fired from Thinking Machines. Zoph spent only five months at OpenAI, where he was responsible for heading AI enterprise sales, before departing in June 2024. His new position at Google is as Vice President of Research, where he will contribute his expertise in reinforcement learning and post-training to the Gemini project, according to a Google spokesperson cited by the Wall Street Journal.

The article also notes the high turnover rate in the AI industry, particularly at OpenAI, which has experienced significant staff departures over the past eight months, including the loss of its COO and a top data center executive. This turnover, including Zoph’s multiple role changes, has led observers to question the stability and retention of high-level executives within the company, despite OpenAI’s prominent position in the tech world and preparations for a potential IPO. Source

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