Alphabet Inc.'s Google LLC signed Character.AI's cofounders Daniel De Freitas and Noam Shazeer, who previously left the company back in 2021, the latter told TechCrunch on Friday.
"I am super excited to return to Google and work as part of the Google DeepMind team. I am so proud of everything we built at Character.AI over the last 3 years. I am confident that the funds from the non-exclusive Google licensing agreement, together with the incredible Character.AI team, positions Character.AI for continued success in the future," Shazeer commented.
Meanwhile, The Information detailed that the cofounders notified the staff that Google will be paying a licensing fee to the chatbot maker, while also hiring a number of the Character.AI researchers. They went on to say that the buyout will amount to $88 per share, a value 2.5 times greater than in 2023.
