Jeff Dean leaves Google after 27 years
Google is restructuring its artificial intelligence divisions, with chief scientist Jeff Dean leaving the company after 27 years as part of a major leadership change announced Wednesday.
According to a memo from Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, posted on Google’s blog, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis will move into a chairman role at the unit while also becoming chief scientist of Alphabet.
Alphabet shares fell approximately 4% following the announcement.
Dean, a leading figure in artificial intelligence who contributed to several major Google technology breakthroughs, will launch a new company with Google senior fellow Sanjay Ghemawat. The departure is described as amicable, and Google will invest in the startup.
“After an incredible 27-year run, Jeff Dean is at a moment where he wants to try something new, and we’re excited to support him in that,” Pichai said.
New AI leadership structure at Google
The restructuring includes the promotion of DeepMind technology chief Koray Kavukcuoglu, who will lead Google’s AI division and oversee development of Gemini 4, the company’s next major artificial intelligence model.
Kavukcuoglu will report directly to Pichai as Google continues competing with companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic in the race to develop advanced AI models.
The company is also investing heavily in infrastructure to support both its own AI systems and customers using Google Cloud.
Alphabet increases focus on AI infrastructure
Google’s latest changes come as the company expands its AI investments. In its most recent quarter, Alphabet reported negative cash flow for the first time due to elevated capital expenditures and forecast full-year spending of up to $205 billion.
Google Cloud has become a major driver of AI-related growth. Cloud revenue increased 82% in the second quarter to $24.8 billion, exceeding growth rates reported by major competitors.
Amazon Web Services reported quarterly revenue growth of 37%, while Microsoft Azure revenue increased 43%.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai said cloud growth was driven by demand for AI infrastructure, AI solutions and the company’s custom tensor processing units, or TPUs.
Hassabis shifts focus to long-term AI strategy
Demis Hassabis, who co-founded DeepMind before Google acquired the company in 2014, has led much of Alphabet’s foundational AI development in recent years.
Hassabis said he decided the time was right to step away from daily operational responsibilities at Google DeepMind to focus on broader strategic priorities.
He will continue working with Pichai on global and strategic AI initiatives.
Jeff Dean launches AI science startup
Following the announcement, Dean revealed on X that his new company will be called Discovery Loop.
The startup will operate as a public benefit corporation focused on applying artificial intelligence to science and engineering.
Google continues AI model competition
The leadership changes come as Google continues developing its Gemini AI models and competing against other leading AI companies.
The company recently announced three new Gemini models, including a major response to Anthropic’s advances in cybersecurity applications, although Gemini 3.5 Pro has faced delays.
“Demand for our models is translating to strong token usage across developers and enterprise customers,” Pichai said during the company’s earnings call.
He added that Google remains supply constrained, which the company views as a sign of strong demand and rapid adoption.
