Who's MovingJune 19, 2026via The Decoder
Google Deepmind loses another top AI researcher as Nobel laureate John Jumper leaves for Anthropic
Why it matters
Google DeepMind is hemorrhaging top-tier AI talent to competitors at a critical moment in the model wars. When Nobel Prize winners and core model architects leave en masse, it signals either internal dysfunction or a strategic shift in where the cutting edge is being built.
Key signals
- John Jumper (Nobel laureate) leaving DeepMind for Anthropic after 9 years
- Noam Shazeer (Gemini co-lead) departed for OpenAI days prior
- David Silver (AlphaGo researcher) started own company weeks prior
- Three major departures from Google DeepMind within months
- Published June 19, 2026
The hook
Three of Google's most prominent AI minds gone in months. Now a Nobel laureate is walking out the door to Anthropic.
Nobel Prize winner John Jumper is leaving Google Deepmind for Anthropic after nearly nine years. Days earlier, Gemini co-lead Noam Shazeer left for OpenAI. Weeks before that, AlphaGo researcher David Silver started his own company. Three of Google's most prominent AI minds, gone within months.