Top AI talent and senior executives are leaving big tech firms like Meta Platforms (META), Google (GOOGL), and OpenAI to start their own companies. The move comes as investor demand for early-stage AI startups grows, with billions of dollars already being invested in the firms founded by these former insiders.
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Major Researchers and Executives Leave Big Tech to Build AI Startups
New reports show that lead researchers are now raising new funds to build their own firms after leaving major AI tech companies. Former Google DeepMind researcher David Silver recently raised a record $1.1 billion seed round for his startup, Ineffable Intelligence, shortly after launching it.
Similarly, another DeepMind researcher, Tim Rocktäschel, is reportedly seeking up to $1 billion for his startup, Recursive Superintelligence. Furthermore, Ami Labs, an AI firm launched in 2026, raised $1 billion this March after founder Yann LeCun, a former Meta insider, resigned from the company.
Other big companies like xAI and Anthropic are also facing the same issue as their former staff leave their roles to launch startups, such as Periodic Labs, Ricursive Intelligence, and Humans&. Many of these founders are also hiring employees from the firms they had worked with, using funding to attract top talent.
AI Race Creates Openings for Smaller and More Agile Startups
Small AI companies are growing rapidly as competition among the big tech surges. Elise Stern, Managing Director at Eurazeo Venture Capital, said the race for dominance among large AI firms is shifting their focus away from building real-life solutions.
As a result, startups are using this opportunity to build new AI applications and agents that could fill those gaps. For example, Ricursive Intelligence, co-founded by former Anthropic and Google DeepMind insiders Anna Goldie and Azalia Mirhoseini, is building AI tools for chip design.
These small firms are also getting strong backing from investors. According to Dealroom, a global data platform, many venture capital firms have already invested up to $18.8 billion in AI startups founded in early 2025.
Notably, Ricursive Intelligence raised $335 million across two rounds after launching in September. Meanwhile, Periodic Labs raised $300 million to develop a tool focused on autonomous labs. Also, Humans& secured $480 million in January to explore reinforcement learning, a new field where AI learns from real experiences rather than internet data.
What AI Stocks Are Best to Buy Now?
According to consensus ratings from Wall Street analysts tracked by TipRanks, Meta Platforms (META), Google (GOOGL), and Microsoft (MSFT) are Strong Buys. Among the three stocks, MSFT has the highest 12-month upside potential at over 35%, while GOOGL and META are projected to surge by 10% and 25%, respectively, over the same period. For more information on these stocks’ performance, ratings, and price targets, visit the TipRanks Stocks Comparison Center.
