Google is moving control of its AI operations from London back to Silicon Valley, with a major leadership restructuring solidifying the rising influence of co-founder Sergey Brin. According to over a dozen sources familiar with the tech giant, including current and former employees, this shake-up represents a fundamental overhaul of the company's AI leadership. As Google accelerates efforts to commercialize its Gemini models and close the gap with competitors, AI authority is being centralized at its California headquarters.
Demis Hassabis will no longer lead the Google DeepMind unit he founded, with day-to-day management handed over to new Senior Vice President Koray Kavukcuoglu. The former DeepMind CTO relocated from London to Google's Mountain View headquarters last year and now oversees Gemini development from a desk next to Brin. For the $4.4 trillion company, this reorganization is a seismic shift. The urgent need to commercialize has overshadowed DeepMind's research-driven culture of over a decade.
Google faces mounting pressure to prove it can compete with OpenAI and Anthropic in code tools and enterprise AI, while also contending with the loss of senior talent and growing investor concerns over AI spending costs. Those familiar with the organizational changes say the transition has been planned for months. As Google accelerates development of its flagship AI models, Hassabis has handed operational responsibility for Gemini's development to Kavukcuoglu. Meanwhile, Brin, who had largely stepped back from daily operations years ago, has since the launch of ChatGPT become one of the most influential voices in the company's AI strategy, with increasing involvement in Gemini development.
Hassabis, who sold DeepMind to Google for £400 million in 2014, will now serve as Alphabet's chief scientist and chairman of Google DeepMind. He will focus on long-term AI research while relinquishing overall management of the unit. Hassabis's research leadership is widely respected, but multiple sources familiar with internal thinking say senior management grew frustrated with his relatively low emphasis on commercializing AI. One insider revealed that Hassabis's decision to make AlphaFold, the protein structure prediction system that won him the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, freely available externally caused internal friction. The project was costly but generated little commercial return. A person close to the company denied any conflict between Google management and Hassabis, stating the Nobel laureate led the initial launch of Google's most powerful AI model, Gemini, and deeply cares about the project's success.
"Demis... has a vision for AI research," said Yann LeCun, former chief AI scientist at Meta and a leading figure in the field. "He can do research himself and inspire others to follow, which is more efficient than being a manager giving orders." LeCun, who also stepped down from management in 2018, added, "People naturally want to focus on what they have unique talent for." Multiple current and former DeepMind employees say the restructuring has caused significant upheaval within the London-based lab, with some fearing it marks the end of the research culture Hassabis long protected. A former DeepMind executive who left for a competitor said he has received calls from several colleagues indicating they are looking for new opportunities.
This personnel turmoil comes as Google struggles to retain top AI talent. Jeff Dean, a highly respected AI scientist who spent 27 years at the company, also announced his departure this week. Dean will co-found AI startup DiscoveryLoop with three colleagues, with Google providing support. Investors have reacted cautiously to the series of changes. Following the announcement, Alphabet shares fell 5%, reflecting market concerns over rising AI spending costs and the need for the company to prove it can translate research strength into commercially successful products.
In 2023, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai merged DeepMind with Google Brain, making DeepMind central to Google's AI ambitions. Hassabis became head of the combined unit, which later incorporated Google's other AI safety and research teams, along with the Gemini application business. In a statement on Wednesday, Hassabis described the expanded department as "Google's AI engine," responsible for developing the Gemini large model family and other cutting-edge AI systems. However, those familiar with the company say that in recent years, Brin, despite holding no formal executive title, has been quietly trying to steer AI research and development decisions. Over the past year, Hassabis has devoted more energy to Isomorphic Labs, the AI drug discovery company he founded, while also becoming a prominent figure in public discussions on AI topics.
A friend of Hassabis commented, "For Demis, this is a great outcome. As far as I know, he feels both relieved and excited about the future. He can retain significant influence without moving to the U.S., and he can free up more time for Isomorphic Labs, which he is passionate about." Last year, Google saw a revival with the Gemini 3 series and the popular AI image editing tool NanoBanana. But sources familiar with internal thinking say executives and the board remain concerned that Google is lagging in code models and enterprise AI, where OpenAI and Anthropic have already gained an edge. Hassabis told employees that stepping back from daily management allows him to focus on the "big picture" and influence the direction of increasingly powerful artificial general intelligence. Google executives characterize the reorganization as a necessary step to accelerate product development in a more competitive environment.
"We must speed up all related work and stay on the cutting edge of AI," Pichai said in this week's restructuring announcement. "With today's changes, we will continue to maintain our momentum."
Comments