Google chief scientist departs after 27 years to launch AI firm

Google’s chief scientist role carries particular weight. The position was established in 2023 following the merger of Google Brain and DeepMind, two of the most consequential AI research organizations ever assembled.

Google DeepMind has seen a string of notable exits recently, including John Jumper’s departure to Anthropic in June 2026 and Noam Shazeer’s move to OpenAI. Over at Meta, Yann LeCun announced in November 2025 that he was leaving to start a new AI firm focused on world models.

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