Sora co-lead Tim Brooks joins Google
OpenAI faces another departure in the last months.
Tim Brooks, one of the co-leads on OpenAI’s video generation tool, Sora, has left the company for Google. Brooks, who had been working on Sora since January 2023, announced on X that he will join Google DeepMind to focus on video generation technologies and ‘world simulators.’ His departure comes as Sora faces technical challenges, reportedly taking over 10 minutes to generate a one-minute video, leaving it behind competitors like Luma and Runway.
Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis welcomed Tim Brooks, highlighting his contribution to the development of world simulators, which aim to create virtual environments for a variety of applications, from filmmaking to AI training. DeepMind has been developing models like Genie, which generate interactive virtual worlds using images, photos, and sketches to create action-controllable environments.
Tim Brooks’ departure is part of a growing trend of high-profile exits from OpenAI. Key figures like CTO Mira Murati and research scientist Andrej Karpathy have also left the company in recent months. While OpenAI has demonstrated its video generation tool, Sora, to Hollywood studios and filmmakers, it has yet to secure a significant production partnership, leaving its future uncertain amid stiff competition.
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