The constant shuffling of key figures between OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google highlights that the most valuable asset in the AI race is a small group of elite researchers. These individuals can easily switch allegiances for better pay or projects, creating immense instability for even the most well-funded companies.

Strategic leaks of "comparable companies" to media outlets are a key tool for stealth startups to signal their direction. Analysts can reverse-engineer a company's strategy, target market, and talent focus by scrutinizing these chosen comps. This turns PR into a powerful source of competitive intelligence.

Despite intense competition, Amazon's core principle of being 'customer obsessed' means AWS would likely provide Google's TPU chips if key customers demand them. This prioritizes customer retention over platform exclusivity in the AI chip wars.

Former Google SVP Sridhar Ramaswamy reveals that Google has a history of mobilizing intensely against threats, using all-hands-on-deck initiatives. Its recent AI surge isn't surprising to insiders who know its ability to activate a 'war' footing when challenged.

The constant movement of researchers between top AI labs prevents any single company from maintaining a decisive, long-term advantage. Key insights are carried by people, ensuring new ideas spread quickly throughout the ecosystem, even without open-sourcing code.

Rivals like Microsoft and Amazon are investing in each other's primary AI partners (e.g., Amazon in OpenAI). This isn't random; it reflects a strategic alignment to create a powerful counterweight against Google, which they view as the single biggest long-term threat in the AI race.

OpenAI isn't just hiring talent; it's systematically poaching senior people from nearly every relevant Apple hardware department—camera, silicon, industrial design, manufacturing. This broad talent acquisition signals a serious, comprehensive strategy to build a fully integrated consumer device to rival Apple's own ecosystem.

According to an ex-employee, Google had an unwritten policy to retain intelligent but underperforming staff. The rationale was that they might become productive again, but more importantly, it prevented competitors from acquiring top talent, effectively treating talent as a scarce resource to be stockpiled.

AWS CEO Matt Garman's emphasis on "customer choice," combined with Jeff Bezos's philosophy of being customer-obsessed rather than competitor-obsessed, suggests AWS might offer Google's TPUs in their data centers if customers demand them, despite the direct competition.