Barret Zoph has taken a position at Google as vice president of research, returning to a company where he previously worked. A Google spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal the company expects Zoph to bring “his RL and post-training expertise to Gemini.”
Recent moves and roles
Zoph spent two years at OpenAI before leaving in October 2024 to co-found Thinking Machines with Mira Murati, who had departed OpenAI the month before. In January of the following year, Zoph and fellow co-founder Luke Metz left Thinking Machines to rejoin OpenAI. Reports later revealed Zoph had been fired from Thinking Machines prior to that return.
On his return to OpenAI he was assigned to head AI enterprise sales. That stint lasted five months; reports state he left OpenAI in June. He has now taken the vice president of research role at Google.
Industry context
Reports note a high turnover rate across the AI industry and particularly at OpenAI, which has seen several senior departures over the past eight months. Those departures include the company’s chief operating officer and a senior data center executive, according to industry accounts. Observers have highlighted the pace of executive movement without reaching a single explanation for individual departures.
Zoph’s move adds to a pattern of rapid transitions among AI executives in recent months. The Google spokesperson’s comment specifically mentions reinforcement learning (RL) and post-training work as areas Zoph will contribute to within Gemini.
His new title at Google is vice president of research, and the company confirmed the hire to the Wall Street Journal. Zoph’s prior experience includes earlier roles at Google and multiple stints at OpenAI and Thinking Machines.
Original source: TechCrunch AI