Talent
Barret Zoph returns to Google as VP of research after a five-month stop at OpenAI
The Thinking Machines Lab co-founder left Google in 2022, spent two years at OpenAI, co-founded and was pushed out of his own startup, then rejoined OpenAI before now returning to Google.
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The short version
- Barret Zoph is rejoining Google as vice president of research, six years after leaving for OpenAI in 2022.
- He spent two years at OpenAI, left in October 2024 to co-found Thinking Machines Lab with Mira Murati, then departed that startup in January 2026 to return to OpenAI.
- His second stint at OpenAI, heading AI enterprise sales, lasted five months before he left in June 2026.
- A Google spokesperson said: "We look forward to Barret returning to Google and bringing his RL and post-training expertise to Gemini."
The Thinking Machines Lab co-founder left Google in 2022, spent two years at OpenAI, co-founded and was pushed out of his own startup, then rejoined OpenAI before now returning to Google.