Core Automation, a new artificial intelligence startup founded by former OpenAI researcher Jerry Tworek, has attracted top talent from major tech giants Anthropic and Google DeepMind. The company describes its mission as building the world's most automated AI laboratory, aiming to develop systems that optimize and automate research workflows themselves. Rohan Anil, a former researcher at Anthropic with prior experience at Google DeepMind, confirmed his departure from the big tech firm. He credited Tworek with recruiting him through intense intellectual persuasion, stating that Tworek effectively nerd-sniped him into joining the new venture. Similarly, Anmol Gulati, a research scientist at Google DeepMind working on the Gemini project, announced his departure. Gulati expressed that the current paradigm of simply scaling models and data will not suffice for the next phase of AI development. He believes the future lies in new learning algorithms, architectures beyond current stacks, and systems capable of automating their own construction. Core Automation highlights that its founding team includes individuals who have helped build frontier models and influential architectures. This recruitment drive exemplifies a broader trend in the technology sector where leading AI researchers are leaving established corporations to join startups. For instance, Yann LeCun, formerly Meta's chief AI scientist, recently left to launch Advanced Machine Intelligence Labs, focusing on world models that better reflect reality, a departure from Meta's commercial scaling approach. The shift is driven by a competitive talent war. Last year, tech giants engaged in bidding wars for AI experts, offering multibillion-dollar acquisitions and massive compensation packages. However, startups have also emerged as significant players, offering competitive salaries, equity stakes, and the distinct sense of ownership and impact found in smaller organizations. Shawn Thorne, managing director at executive search firm True Search, noted that base salaries at startups have risen rapidly to attract talent. He emphasized that equity is a primary factor in offsetting the opportunity costs for researchers who might otherwise start their own ventures. To further entice candidates, startups provide additional incentives such as cofounder titles, access to compute resources, and dedicated time for independent research. As the industry evolves, the tension between the resources of big tech and the agility of startups continues to shape the careers of the field's most prominent scientists.