Hassabis Steps Down as Google DeepMind CEO, Was Planning to Leave with Jeff Dean

According to reports, Demis Hassabis, the 2024 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, was planning to leave Alphabet before the recent executive reshuffle. Alphabet announced that Hassabis would move from CEO of Google DeepMind to Chairman and also serve as Chief Scientist, while Jeff Dean and several colleagues left to start Discovery Loop.

Sources say Hassabis wanted to leave at the same time as Jeff Dean, but Alphabet feared losing two AI leaders at once would crash the stock. So Hassabis agreed to become Chairman, allowing him to focus more on projects like Isomorphic Labs and prepare for a smoother exit later.