In 2025 the talent flowed to Meta — 18 of 20 moves — then 2026 reversed it toward OpenAI and Anthropic

Asked:

“Which AI researchers moved between frontier labs since 2025? For each move list the researcher, the lab they left, where they went and the month.”

A web scan as of 1 September 2026 found 34 publicly reported, dateable moves by 33 named researchers between frontier-model labs — OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Anthropic, Meta Superintelligence Labs, Thinking Machines Lab, xAI and Ami Labs — from February 2025 through August 2026. Each dot below is one researcher landing at a new lab; each strand traces the lab they left.

Publicly reported moves found in a web scan, as of 1 Sep 2026 — not a complete employee registry. Strand colour = lab departed; band = lab joined. Month is the earliest public report of the move.

34 moves, 33 researchers — Luke Metz moved twice: Thinking Machines Lab → OpenAI in Jan 2026, then OpenAI → Meta in Aug 2026. thenextweb.com
18 of the 20 moves in 2025 went to Meta Superintelligence Labs, 12 of them announced in June alone. businessinsider.com
2026 turned multidirectional: of 14 moves, OpenAI received 7, Anthropic 4, Meta 2 and Ami Labs 1 — including two researchers counter-poached back from Meta to OpenAI. metix.ai
Google DeepMind lost 9 researchers and gained none in the period, including Nobel laureate John Jumper to Anthropic in June 2026. mlq.ai

All 34 moves

Click a column header to sort.

MonthResearcherLeftJoinedSource

Best-effort list of publicly reported moves between frontier-model organizations, found in a web scan as of 1 Sep 2026: 34 curated moves from 68 candidate rows across two result sets; duplicates, stale affiliations, spelling variants, predictive items, pre-2025 moves and non-research executives were cut. “Month” is the earliest public report, not the payroll start date. Every row links its source page.

This report was generated automatically by Keenable SELECT at a user's request, from publicly available web sources linked herein. Keenable does not review, verify, or endorse its contents and makes no representation as to accuracy, completeness, or timeliness; AI-based extraction may contain errors. Nothing in this report is investment, legal, financial, or other professional advice. All trademarks and referenced content remain the property of their respective owners; no affiliation or endorsement is implied. To report an error, rights concern, or request removal: legal@keenable.ai.

Keenable SELECTAsk your own question
Made with Keenable SELECT