CNBC's Deirdre Bosa reports on the AI talent wars and OpenAI rehiring senior talent amid growing momentum from Google and Anthropic.

The release of Open AI's ChatGPT has accelerated the development of artificial intelligence and warnings about its impact on society.

Rise of AI

OpenAI has rehired three leading researchers who previously left for rival startup Thinking Machines, including co-founder Berit Zoff. The company stated in an internal memo that it does not share concerns about previous allegations against Zoff, signaling a willingness to prioritize talent acquisition despite controversy.

This development comes as OpenAI faces increasing competition from companies like Google and Anthropic, both of which are making significant advances in AI. The rehiring also sends a message to current employees that departures are not always permanent, reflecting the intense demand for top AI researchers in the industry.

OpenAI rehires senior talent

OpenAI now rehiring three top researchers from a rival startup in this latest battle for AI talent. Our dear Debosa has more on what it means for OpenAI's strategy in today's Tech Check. Morning, Dee. Hey, good morning, Carl. So this marks a new level of desperation in the AI talent wars. In any other industry, a founder fired for unethical conduct and accused of sharing confidential information with competitors would likely be radioactive. But not here. Instead, as you see, a very public celebratory welcome back from OpenAI's CEO of apps, Fiji Simo. So here's what we know. According to reporting from Kylie Robinson, Berit Zoff, that's the co-founder of the $12 billion Thinking Machines, founded by ex-OpenAI employee Mira Murati. He was fired amid these allegations, claims that he has not publicly responded to. OpenAI reportedly in an internal memo says it does not share these concerns and has now rehired him and another co-founder. Now, a few ways to read this. One, this is a major blow to Thinking Machines. The startup has lost multiple co-founders at this point. Another departed in November for Meta right as it's reportedly raising fresh capital at a $50 billion valuation. But the other maybe less obvious read is what this says about OpenAI. It is under increasing pressure and its willingness to reabsorb boomerang employees despite the baggage. It starts to look less like confidence, maybe a little bit more like urgency. Now, Google has found real momentum with Gemini 3. And you can see in this chart, it is closing the traffic and usage gap with chat GPT. This is according to third party data. Anthropic, meanwhile, it's currently having a viral moment with Cloud Code, which I can attest to myself. I've spent the last day building with it. And it feels like a genuine chat GPT style inflection point. Now, another audience for this talent shuffle is OpenAI's current employees. The message is that leaving isn't final and bridges, they can be burnt if you're important enough. That tells you how intense this phase of the AI race has become and how narrow the lead really is. Does does nobody sign non-competes over there? I mean, this is the thing, right? The employees, the top researchers hold all the leverage. Right. And I think that it's kind of like a free for all at the moment. I mean, someone told me that it's actually kind of common now to like take trade secrets with you when you leave. Something that no one really talks about in public. But like in this instance, you're always welcome back if you're good enough. They'll figure out that legal battle. They'll do whatever it takes if you're a top researcher.

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OpenAI rehires senior talent

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