3 min learnNew DelhiJun 21, 2026 10:31 AM IST
Senior analysis scientist John Jumper mentioned on Friday he would depart Google DeepMind to affix AI startup Anthropic, the most recent high-profile departure on the Huge Tech big’s AI lab.
Jumper, who received a Nobel prize alongside Google’s Demis Hassabis in 2024, is finest referred to as the co-creator of AlphaFold, a breakthrough AI that has predicted over 200 million protein buildings, reducing years off organic and medical analysis.
“After almost 9 years, I’ve determined to go away Google DeepMind and be a part of Anthropic,” Jumper mentioned in a submit on X.
Know-how giants together with Meta and Alphabet , together with AI upstarts similar to Anthropic and OpenAI are locked in a fierce expertise battle, competing for elite researchers as they race to construct next-generation AI programs.
“There’s a lot demand for restricted AI analysis expertise that the frontier AI analysis labs are keen to do no matter it takes so as to add them. This places OpenAI and Anthropic over massive firms like Google as a result of they will promise much less paperwork and a extra targeted effort on pursuing Superintelligence,” mentioned D.A. Davidson analyst Gil Luria.
Jumper’s shock departure comes simply days after Noam Shazeer, a vp of engineering at Google and co-lead of its Gemini AI fashions, mentioned he would depart the corporate to affix IPO-bound OpenAI.
“What we achieved with AlphaFold modified the world, and confirmed the sphere what was potential with AI for science and drugs, lighting the best way for how AI can profit humanity,” Hassabis mentioned in a reply to Jumper’s submit.
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Jumper serves as VP, Engineering Fellow, at Google DeepMind, in accordance with his LinkedIn web page. He’s transferring to Anthropic at a time when the startup is embroiled in a high-stakes authorized and regulatory battle with the U.S. authorities.
Anthropic is internet hosting a science occasion on June 30. The startup didn’t instantly reply to a Reuters request for remark relating to Jumper’s new position.
Within the X submit, Jumper described Google DeepMind as a “particular place” and indicated his continued curiosity in its future discoveries.
“We are grateful for John’s important contributions to Google DeepMind’s work in advancing science and AI. We want him properly in his subsequent chapter,” a Google DeepMind spokesperson informed Reuters in an emailed response.