Nobel Prize–winning AI researcher John Jumper moves from DeepMind to Anthropic

John Jumper, the 2024 Nobel laureate in chemistry, announced his departure from Google DeepMind to join Anthropic. The move marks another notable shift in the competitive landscape of AI research and development.

Jumper, who shared the recent Nobel Prize with DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis for their work on AlphaFold, credited his time at the research lab with shaping his scientific approach. In a statement on X, he praised "the entire GDM team" for teaching him how to "do great science" while acknowledging Hassabis's willingness to let him lead the AlphaFold team early in his career.

According to reporting, Jumper had been a key contributor to Google's AI-powered coding tools—an area where the company has faced challenges in commercial adoption. His departure comes amid a broader reshuffling of talent in the AI sector: Character AI co-founder Noam Shazeer similarly left DeepMind this week, though he is joining OpenAI rather than Anthropic.

Jumper's arrival at Anthropic signals the AI safety-focused startup's continued investment in foundational research and top scientific talent as competition between major AI labs intensifies.