OpenAI rehires senior talent amid growing Google, Anthropic momentum

Watch on YouTube ↗  |  January 15, 2026 at 17:27  |  2:31  |  CNBC
Speakers
Deirdre Bosa — Anchor/Reporter, CNBC Tech Check

Summary

Deirdre Bosa reports on the AI talent wars, focusing on OpenAI's rehiring of a fired Thinking Machines co-founder and what it signals about competitive urgency. She notes Google's Gemini 3 is gaining real momentum and closing the usage gap with ChatGPT, while Anthropic's Claude Code is having a viral moment. The segment also discusses the leverage top AI researchers hold and the free-for-all talent dynamics.

  • OpenAI rehires a former Thinking Machines co-founder despite prior allegations, signaling urgency.
  • Thinking Machines has lost multiple co-founders and is reportedly raising at a $50 billion valuation.
  • Google's Gemini 3 is gaining traffic and usage momentum versus ChatGPT.
  • Anthropic's Claude Code is described as a viral ChatGPT-style inflection point.
  • Top AI researchers hold significant leverage and non-competes appear ineffective.
  • The AI competitive lead is narrow and talent mobility is intensifying the race.
Ideas
Deirdre Bosa Anchor/Reporter, CNBC Tech Check 1:31
Google Gemini momentum closes ChatGPT usage gap.
Google has found real momentum with Gemini 3, and third-party data shows it is closing the traffic and usage gap with ChatGPT, indicating Google is mounting a stronger competitive challenge in the AI race.
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This CNBC video, published January 15, 2026, features Deirdre Bosa discussing GOOG. 1 trade idea extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.

Speakers: Deirdre Bosa  · Tickers: GOOG