According to the media, the former Google employees have set up AI leaders and start-ups. The well-known companies are OpenAI, Inflection AI, Cohere, Anthropic, etc. Until now, a lot of Top AI talents are still leaving.

The ChatGPT Effect is increasing this trend, which hasn’t happened with previous new technologies like VR/AR, WEB 3.0, and Metaverse.

Alphabet’s Google and DeepMind Pause Grudges, Join Forces to Chase OpenAI —The Information, March 29, 2023

https://www.theinformation.com/articles/alphabets-google-and-deepmind-pause-grudges-join-forces-to-chase-openai

It’s interesting.

• Feb 2023, Google AI team Blueshift joined DeepMind.
• March 29, 2023, “Google reshuffles virtual assistant unit with focus on Bard A.I. technology”

Then they join again.

They have their own AI project, Google’s Bard, and DeepMind’s Sparrow, to compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. But then they are working together on a new AI project called Gemini.

Have to doubt that top AI talents’ leaving caused Google Brain Team to lose “Brain” and DeepMind to lose “Mind”.

1. Google Brain Drain, AI Big BANG

The Information reported ”OpenAI’s Hidden Weapon: Ex-Google Engineers”, but today it seems that “AI Start-ups’ Hidden Weapon: Ex-Google Engineers”

The main flow: Google Brain > OpenAI > Anthropic.

And Google invested in Anthropic, it’s an inexplicable circle.

• Blue badge: verified, the informations are verified with their LinkedIn or Twitter
• Gray badge: unverified, media reported these information, but their LinkedIn aren’t uploaded.

For nearly a year, AI talents have been leaving Google and DeepMind to work on start-ups or start their own.”

Except for co-founders and founders of start-ups who are former Google employees, many are also hiring their ex-colleagues.

1.1 OpenAI is attracting employees from Google and DeepMind.

1.2 Some researchers and scientists joined little start-ups.

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2. Who are the AI Start-ups hiring

Collecting data on eight AI start-ups from LinkedIn, the employee data is not completely accurate due to the following reasons:

1. Some profiles are not updated.
2. Searching by keywords does not always match precisely.
3. Advisors, investors, and part-timers are included as employees.

However, we can still get a general picture from the data.

2.1 Prestigious universities’ stage, Stanford alumni’s AI party

Note: a person may have studied at more than one university

First, these universities are world-renowned, such as Stanford University, Harvard University, University of Oxford, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, among others.

Except for Cohere, which is based in Canada, the top 5 of the others include Stanford University. After checking several researcher and founder profiles, I found that they studied at Stanford University.

It seems to be a stage for talent from prestigious universities, but it would be bold to assume that this is an AI party for Stanford alumni. Stanford University is also contributing to the AI race with the Alpaca 7B model, which was launched in March 2023.

So, in addition to talent poaching, there will also be a war for talent reserves, either to quickly recruit new students from universities or to find potential students through existing relationships with talented individuals.

2.2 Talent poaching, is Meta next target ?

Note: a person may have work at more than one companies

Search by keywords: tech giants and AI leaders, in these start-ups, most employees have experience with well-known tech companies. Earlier, I thought Google is the main poached target. But former Microsoft staffs are more than I thought.

Have to mention Elon Musk’s Twitter: “OpenAI has become a closed source, maximum-profit company effectively controlled by Microsoft.”

OpenAI was created as an open source (which is why I named it “Open” AI), non-profit company to serve as a counterweight to Google, but now it has become a closed source, maximum-profit company effectively controlled by Microsoft.

Not what I intended at all.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 17, 2023

Does “controlled” only mean business strategy? I have to doubt whether more people with Microsoft backgrounds have infiltrated OpenAI, and even other AI start-ups.

Another interesting observation after checking OpenAI’s recruiters:

1. Jun 2022, Lesley Griffin, ex-Meta Recruiting Lead, joined OpenAI as Recruiting Director.
2. Jul 2022, Priyanka Yadav, ex-Meta Technical Sourcer joined OpenAI.
3. Aug 2022, Yoshi Wang, ex-Meta Technical Sourcer joined OpenAI.
4. Dec 2022, Matt Chung, ex-Meta Full Cycle Recruiter joined OpenAI.
5. Dec 2022, Andrew Busker, ex-Google Executive Recruiter joined OpenAI.
6. JAN 2023, Robert Infantino, ex-AWS Sr. Executive Technology Recruiter joined OpenAI.
7. JAN 2023, Brian Kelleher, ex-Facebook Technical Recruiter joined OpenAI.
8. Mar 2023, John Lam, ex-Strip Senior Business Recruiter joined OpenAI.

Hmm, half of OpenAI’s recruiters are coming from Meta (Facebook), and many of them are Technical Recruiters. As we know, Meta has an AI team and a large language model called LLaMA. Google’s AI talents have all been poached. Is Meta the next target?

OpenAI’s business strategy seems to be taking shape:

• Upgrading and expanding application services is necessary, although Microsoft Azure is a strong backer. The hiring of Robert Infantino may signal the intention to bring in more technical talents for services.
• In March 2023, Stripe announced a partnership with OpenAI. This fintech startup can help OpenAI monetize its services. Some former technical employees from Stripe have joined OpenAI, and now John Lam, a Senior Business Recruiter, has also joined OpenAI. It appears that OpenAI has ambitions to build its own real business.

Partners need take care about business partnerships become talent poaching.

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3. In China, AI talents are scarcity

Before the release of ChatGPT, Chinese tech giants had AI labs or teams dedicated to language models (LLM), but they hadn’t applied AI in public settings. Now, they are swiftly reorganizing their AI teams to keep up with the fast-paced advancements in the field of artificial intelligence.

It’s hard for they to poach talents from Google AI or OpenAI:

• these people are living in the US
• The Chinese language model is different

It is an internal struggle for Chinese AI companies as AI talent is scarce.

According to the media, Baidu’s AI Team is the first target for poaching. Why? Because they have launched the first Chinese ChatGPT-like bot

Additionally, job changes among top AI talents have caught the attention of the industry.

This is just the beginning.

The Information has reported that “Sequoia and Other U.S.-Backed VCs Are Funding China’s Answer to OpenAI.” The infusion of capital is anticipated to further heighten the talent competition.

4. Under the wave of layoffs, will AI revive the technology industry?

I don’t think so.

According to TechCrunch+, “A comprehensive list of 2023 tech layoffs” listed a lot of tech giants’ layoffs, it’s shocking.

The running total of layoffs for 2023 based on full months to date is 168,243, according to Layoffs.fyi. Tech layoffs conducted to date this year currently exceed the total number of tech layoffs in 2022, according to the data in the tracker.

• January: 84,714 employees laid off
• February: 36,491 employees laid off
• March: 37,109 employees laid off

The aim of layoffs is to reduce cost and increase efficiency. AI will be a powerful tool for enterprises to enhance efficiency and reduce labor costs, and optimize talent management for better managing and retaining core talents. What an employee does in a day, AI only takes a few minutes. More people will lose jobs as AI continues to grow.

AI talents will get more and new opportunities than before. AI talents will get more and new opportunities than before. Those who are researchers and engineers, who graduated from prestigious universities, who have worked at big tech companies.

Start-ups will control costs more carefully and build their businesses around AI giants. They will be sacrificed if there is a conflict with the business of the giant or its partners.

So, do your current self, work hard and study hard.

P.S. Next, I will focus on data analysis and product design. Bye, GPT.

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References:

[1] OpenAI hired Google employees to do ‘instrumental’ work on ChatGPT before its launch, report says: https://www.businessinsider.com/chatgpt-openai-google-ai-employees-hired-report-2023-2

[2] Elon Musk is seeking to create a rival to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, report says: https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-chatgpt-rival-openai-ai-2023-2

[3] Raja Koduri To Depart Intel By Month’s End, Company Announces New Head Of IFS: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marcochiappetta/2023/03/21/raja-koduri-to-depart-intel-by-months-end-company-announces-new-head-of-ifs/?sh=6fe68a2d6643

[4] OpenAI’s Hidden Weapon: Ex-Google Engineers: https://www.theinformation.com/articles/openais-hidden-weapon-ex-google-engineers

[5] Former Salesforce exec Bret Taylor is teaming up with Google AR/VR vet Clay Bavor on mystery startup: https://techcrunch.com/2023/02/08/former-salesforce-exec-bret-taylor-is-teaming-up-with-google-ar-vr-vet-clay-bavor-on-mystery-startup/

[6] 从大神Alex Smola与李沐离职AWS创业融资顺利 https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/EEUDKjcEgvD1lGWCXHI36w

[7] 颜水成加入智源，任访问首席科学家: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/-Mf1tLD2n20ubr71zrXo3Q

[8]阿里M6大模型前带头人杨红霞加盟字节跳动，参与语言生成大模型研发: https://36kr.com/p/2181264936385025

[9] Intel graphics chief Raja Koduri leaves after five years battling Nvidia and AMD: https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/21/23650611/intel-raja-koduri-gpus-amd-nvidia-apple-leave-ai-startup

[10]AI 视觉大牛陶大程将卸任京东探索研究院院长:  https://www.leiphone.com/category/ai/pBGovcm0SG0EVgwy.html

[11] Cohere Welcomes Martin Kon as President & COO: https://txt.cohere.ai/martin-kon/

[12]A.I. gurus are leaving Big Tech to work on buzzy new start-ups: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/10/ai-gurus-are-leaving-big-tech-to-work-on-buzzy-new-start-ups.html