Google Hires Barret Zoph as Gemini Research VP After OpenAI Exit
Barret Zoph joins Google as vice president of research after leaving Thinking Machines and a five month OpenAI return, bringing RL expertise to Gemini.
Summary
Barret Zoph has joined Google as vice president of research, returning to a former employer to apply his RL and post training expertise to Gemini. He spent two years at OpenAI before leaving in October 2024 to cofound Thinking Machines with Mira Murati, who had exited OpenAI the previous month. In January 2026, Zoph and fellow cofounder Luke Metz left Thinking Machines to return to OpenAI. Zoph was later revealed to have been fired by the startup.
Zoph’s OpenAI return lasted five months. He led AI enterprise sales before leaving in June 2026. His latest move extends rapid executive circulation across AI, while the reasons for shorter tenures remain unclear. OpenAI, despite preparing for an IPO and retaining major industry influence, has lost critical staff during the past eight months, including its COO and a top data center executive. Google now gains Zoph’s research experience for Gemini as OpenAI faces continued scrutiny over senior departures.
Positives
- Google gains Barret Zoph as vice president of research, bringing experience from OpenAI, Thinking Machines and an earlier Google tenure.
- Gemini will benefit from Zoph’s expertise in RL and post training, two areas central to improving AI model performance.
- Zoph secured a senior research position at Google after leaving OpenAI in June 2026.
Risks & concerns
- Thinking Machines fired Zoph before he and cofounder Luke Metz returned to OpenAI in January 2026.
- Zoph’s second OpenAI tenure lasted only five months despite his appointment to lead AI enterprise sales.
- OpenAI has lost critical staff over eight months, including its COO and a top data center executive.
- Reasons for increasingly short executive tenures across the AI industry remain unclear.