Jeff Dean Leaves Google After Nearly Three Decades

Legendary computer scientist Jeff Dean is leaving Google after nearly three decades to lead AI startup Discovery Loop. As part of a major artificial intelligence leadership reorganisation at Alphabet, the parent company of Google, Dean announced his departure.

Dean, who was one of Google's earliest employees and co-founded its flagship AI divisions, is leaving after 27 years. His departure comes alongside a wider realignment of Alphabet's AI executive team.

Inside Google, news of Dean's exit was met with a mix of sadness and humour, as staff flooded internal channels with memes celebrating his near-mythical status as an engineer who helped build Google's core search engine and original AI infrastructure. CEO Sundar Pichai joined the fray with a message on X (formerly Twitter), saying 'I also want to give a huge thanks to the incomparable @JeffDean after an incredible 27-year run at Google.'

The departure of Dean, who co-founded the Google Brain research team and served as a technical co-lead on Google's Gemini project, has triggered a broader leadership shake-up at Alphabet. Demis Hassabis will move from his role as CEO of Google DeepMind to become Alphabet's Chief Scientist while retaining his role as chair of DeepMind.