'London Rule' that may explain why top AI researchers are leaving Google for its biggest rivals Anthropic and OpenAI
Four senior AI researchers have left Google DeepMind in under two weeks, joining rivals Anthropic and OpenAI. The common thread isn't pay—it's London. UK non-compete rules, enforceable unlike in California, explain why Nobel laureate John Jumper won't start at Anthropic until next year. With compute shifting to Mountain View and pre-IPO equity on offer, Google's London research bench is quietly draining westward.
Four senior AI researchers have left Google DeepMind in under two weeks, joining rivals Anthropic and OpenAI. The common thread isn't pay—it's London. UK non-compete rules, enforceable unlike in California, explain why Nobel laureate John Jumper won't start at Anthropic until next year. With compute shifting to Mountain View and pre-IPO equity on offer, Google's London research bench is quietly draining westward.
