Barret Zoph, the Thinking Machines co-founder who defected to OpenAI, is now at Google

In Brief Posted: 12:52 PM PDT · August 27, 2026 Image Credits: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto / Getty Images Lucas Ropek Barret Zoph, the Thinking Machines co-founder who defected to OpenAI, is now at Google The game of musical chairs for AI executives continues. Barret Zoph, a co-founder of the AI startup Thinking Machines who left the company earlier this year to rejoin OpenAI, has found yet another job. Zoph spent two years at OpenAI and left in October 2024 to co-found Thinking Machines with Mira Murati, who had left the AI lab the month prior. In January, Zoph and another Thinking Machines co-founder, Luke Metz, quite dramatically departed from the startup to return to OpenAI. His return didn’t quite stick. Zoph spent only five months at OpenAI, where he was tasked with heading AI enterprise sales. He left the company in June. And now we know where he landed. Zoph has taken a position as vice president of research at Google (which happens to be another company where he previously worked). “We look forward to Barret returning to Google and bringing his RL and post-training expertise to Gemini,” a Google spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal . TechCrunch reached out to OpenAI and Google for more information. It’s not always easy to divine why tech executives seem to be spending less time in their roles. The turnover rate in the AI industry is high , and it’s been especially high at OpenAI — a company that, despite readying itself for an IPO and being one of the most powerful presences in the tech world, has lost a lot of critical staff over the last eight months. High-level executives — from the departure of its COO to the recent loss of one of its top data center execs — has left onlookers scratching their heads . Topics AI , Google , OpenAI , TC , Thinking Machines Lab October 13 – 15 San Francisco Don’t miss out . The startup community will gather to answer a pivotal question: How do you build sustainably in the AI era? REGISTER NOW Newsletters See More Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news TechCrunch Daily News Every weekday and Sunday, you can get the best of TechCrunch’s coverage. TechCrunch Mobility TechCrunch Mobility is your destination for transportation news and insight. Startups Weekly Startups are the core of TechCrunch, so get our best coverage delivered weekly. StrictlyVC Provides movers and shakers with the info they need to start their day. No newsletters selected. Subscribe By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . Related AI OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and 100 other companies call for action to defend against rogue AI Lucas Ropek 2 hours ago Gadgets Google’s new Fitbit Air brings Pokémon Sleep to your wrist Lauren Forristal 3 hours ago Venture Fashion startup Atorie raises $9.5M to bring consumers luxury goods without the markup Dominic-Madori Davis 3 hours ago Latest in AI In Brief Barret Zoph, the Thinking Machines co-founder who defected to OpenAI, is now at Google Lucas Ropek 3 minutes ago AI OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and 100 other companies call for action to defend against rogue AI Lucas Ropek 2 hours ago Apps Google’s AI Mode can now track flight prices, help book hotels, and more Aisha Malik 4 hours ago