Barret Zoph, a co-founder of AI startup Thinking Machines Lab, has joined Google as vice president of research, following a short-lived return to OpenAI that lasted only five months.
Zoph spent two years at OpenAI before leaving in October 2024 to co-found Thinking Machines alongside Mira Murati, who had departed OpenAI the month prior. In January 2026, Zoph and fellow Thinking Machines co-founder Luke Metz left the startup to return to OpenAI, where Zoph was tasked with heading AI enterprise sales. He left OpenAI again in June 2026.
Google confirmed the hire in a statement to the Wall Street Journal: “We look forward to Barret returning to Google and bringing his RL and post-training expertise to Gemini.” The role marks a return to Google for Zoph, who had previously worked there.
The move is the latest in a series of high-profile executive departures from OpenAI. The company has lost a significant number of senior staff over the last eight months, including its COO and a top data center executive, even as it prepares for an IPO and maintains a prominent position in the AI industry.
Zoph’s rapid succession of roles — from OpenAI to Thinking Machines, back to OpenAI, and now to Google — reflects a broader pattern of frequent executive movement across the AI sector. The turnover rate in the industry has been notably high, and OpenAI in particular has seen considerable attrition among critical staff.
Source: TechCrunch