Google CEO Sundar Pichai acknowledges poaching of DeepMind AI talent, says retention metrics “healthy”

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has publicly addressed increasing competition in the AI sector over the recruitment of talent from Google DeepMind by rivals such as Microsoft, Meta, and OpenAI. Speaking during Alphabet’s Q2 earnings call, Pichai said while high-profile departures do occur, overall retention metrics and incoming talent continue to look “healthy.”

Pichai admitted, “I do know individual cases can make headlines,” acknowledging notable employees leaving DeepMind in response to offers involving multimillion-dollar compensation packages. However, he declined to share specific numbers when pressed by Business Insider.

He emphasized that retaining top AI researchers involves more than just matching pay—key factors include access to advanced computing infrastructure, the ability to work on cutting-edge projects, and the company’s mission.

“Access to compute is super important … Researchers want to be at the frontier driving progress … the mission and how state-of-the-art the work is matters,” Pichai said.

Analysts are warning that the cost of staying competitive in AI is rising rapidly. One report cited in the same article noted researchers are reportedly much more likely to move from Google to organizations like Anthropic, a sign of shifting industry dynamics.

The issue of talent poaching has come into sharper focus as companies launch major AI initiatives. Meta has established a “superintelligence” division and has already hired several former Google employees, including Pei Sun, a specialist who contributed to Google’s Gemini AI assistant and self-driving technology.

Despite the poaching pressure, Pichai expressed confidence in DeepMind’s ability to maintain its edge, citing strong internal metrics and continued inflow of new AI experts.