Yesterday in AI: 18 June 2026 — Transformer Co-Inventor Quits Google for OpenAI

Noam Shazeer defects from Google to OpenAI pre-IPO; FERC fast-tracks AI data centers onto the US power grid; Baseten closes $1.5B round after tripling ARR in one quarter; Google kills Gemini CLI with no grace period.

By OMC Editorial on 2026-06-19

TL;DR — OpenAI hired Transformer co-inventor Noam Shazeer from Google DeepMind before its IPO; FERC ordered six US grid operators to fast-track AI data center power within 30 days; Baseten closed a $1.5B round at up to $13B after tripling ARR in a quarter; Google permanently killed the Gemini CLI, breaking developer automation with zero grace period. --- 1️⃣ Transformer Co-Inventor Shazeer Walks Out on Google, Into OpenAI - What: Noam Shazeer, VP Engineering and Gemini co-lead at Google DeepMind, announced June 18 he's joining OpenAI as Lead for AI Architecture Research. - Why it matters: Shazeer co-authored "Attention Is All You Need" 2017 — the Transformer paper underlying every production LLM. Google spent $2.7B to buy back his time via the Character AI acquisition just two years ago. - Key number: $2.7B — what Google paid to re-acquire Shazeer from Character AI in 2024; he's leaving again. Sam Altman called the hire "only 10 years in the making." Shazeer will lead next-generation architecture research at OpenAI, exploring what comes after the Transformer. He joins former Trump White House AI policy official Dean Ball — hired the same week — in a pre-IPO talent signal ahead of OpenAI's targeted October 2026 Nasdaq listing at $965B valuation. Google DeepMind loses one of its most senior research leaders months before both companies go public. 📎 Benzingahttps://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/26/06/53269428/google-gemini-co-lead-noam-shazeer-joins-openai-sam-altman-says-its-10-years-in-the-making · TechCrunchhttps://techcrunch.com/2026/06/18/openai-is-bringing-on-some-big-guns-in-the-lead-up-to-its-ipo/ · Fast Companyhttps://www.fastcompany.com/91562193/google-ai-leader-noam-shazeer-leaves-company-for-openai --- 2️⃣ FERC Orders Six Grid Operators to Fast-Track AI Data Center Power - What: FERC issued "show-cause" orders June 18 to PJM, MISO, SPP, CAISO, ISO-NE, and NYISO to expedite grid interconnection for facilities using 20+ MW. - Why it matters: First