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Comment by dudus | Hacker News Reader

How can an acquired dude leave after less than 2 years?

OpenAI pays for the earn out he would’ve otherwise received at Google + a new comp package. Made up numbers, if Google still owed him $10M for lasting the full two years, OpenAI can just pay him market rate +$10M.

Yes, but what about the audacity of it? Get paid a lot to join a company but then decide to get up and leave again 2 years later? He just wants to be passed around?

There's a possibility that he lost out in internal political battles, and things weren't going his way. Google is full of battle-hardened political warriors who will do anything (subterfuge, sabotage, etc.) to win battles. It is possible that a guy who just wants to build cool shit would feel like a misfit in such an environment.

Noam Shazeer is not some super brain anymore.

His raw skills are likely atrophied by now from delegating and operating at higher levels. His entire value is mostly political now.

If he can’t play the political game and win, he’s useless. He would probably just go to some other organization where people aren’t immune to his lore.

But he worked there previously and is Intelligent so knew all that before rejoining?

True. But earlier he had the ear of people like @jeff ; but now even Jeff has been sidelined a little (Google Brain is no longer under Jeff, AFAIK). The MBA types can be brutal and since they're not technical, they don't have the same level of respect and deference for Noam.

Google is a different place today than even 5 years ago.

$$$$

You can have character and be loyal to Google (lol) or make $xx million… I’m not surprised when people choose the latter.

I would argue its not the millions though, but rather that sweet rare compute - OpenAI has more of it for his interests than anyone - it is understandable why an exceptional mind would prioritize access to greater capabilities above all else

Oh my goodness think of the poor multi-trillion dollar company!! No honour among thieves these days...

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