Google CEO Sundar Pichai discussed the issue of Google researchers departing the company to establish their own startups or join competitors like OpenAI. Pichai expressed a positive outlook on this matter, revealing that former Google employees have successfully founded an impressive 2,000 startups.

In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai was questioned about the departure of Google researchers who went on to establish rival companies or join organisations like OpenAI. Pichai had a positive perspective on this situation, highlighting that some of these startups eventually become Google's cloud customers, while others even choose to return to the company. 

Pichai sees this trend as beneficial for the overall health of the technology ecosystem. It's worth noting that earlier this year, Google implemented significant workforce reductions, resulting in approximately 12,000 employees being laid off across multiple Google offices worldwide.

"Googlers have left to create over 2,000 startups, last I counted, and I think that’s great. Some of them are cloud customers down the line for us. Some of them come back. I think it’s healthy,” Pichai said. 

During discussions about Google's chatbot Bard and its standing compared to competitors, Pichai acknowledged the strengths and weaknesses of Google in this domain. He described the current phase as an early stage in the evolution of chatbot technology.

When considering competition, Pichai recognised the highly competitive nature of the industry, but he expressed confidence in Google's extensive commitment to AI. He emphasised that Google has been deeply involved in AI for a significant period, establishing a strong foundation for the current era. 

Pichai drew a parallel between the present circumstances and the shift to mobile, expressing his belief that Google is better equipped to tackle the challenges presented by AI.

"It’s a competitive moment, but I’ve built the company to be AI native for a long time. I feel better positioned for this than we were for the shift to mobile,” Pichai said.