Google’s chief scientist Jeff Dean is leaving the company and will join three other senior researchers to form a new AI startup called Discovery Loop.
The departures come amid a wider shake-up at Google, which announced a leadership overhaul of its AI division as DeepMind’s leadership was rearranged.
The new startup plans to use automated research methods aimed at drug design and other scientific challenges, a strategy described in early reporting as applying automated research to drug design.
The exits add to a pattern of senior researchers moving out of Google in recent years, a trend that intensified after Google Brain was folded into DeepMind and accelerated with several high-profile departures last year.
Minutes after the departures were reported, Google issued its management changes, an order of events noted by other outlets as occurring minutes after four top researchers said they were leaving.
The news weighed on investors, with coverage noting that Alphabet’s stock drops following the announcement.
Jeff Dean is widely regarded inside the industry as a central architect of Google’s AI efforts and was a cofounder of Google Brain, a pedigree that underlines why his departure is being watched closely.
