Fortune Details an 'Identity Crisis' at Google DeepMind

A Fortune report published on August 13, 2026 gathers accounts from Google DeepMind engineers describing a string of internal problems at Alphabet's AI lab. According to the outlet, the accounts follow weeks of leadership changes already covered by MaxAssistant, including Demis Hassabis stepping down from operational command and the departure of Google chief scientist Jeff Dean.

Gemini 3.5 Pro Has Already Missed Three Release Dates

According to Fortune, Gemini 3.5 Pro, unveiled at Google I/O in May, has already blown through three release dates without reaching the public in a stable version. The company had already delayed the launch of its next flagship model by two months after internal testing showed the system lagging rivals on coding tasks, per the same report.

Gemini 3.6 Flash Trails Rivals on Independent Benchmarking

Fortune cites independent benchmarking firm Artificial Analysis to state that Gemini 3.6 Flash currently trails models from Anthropic, OpenAI, xAI, Meta and at least one Chinese lab on raw intelligence, reversing the leadership position Google held in earlier rankings. Digitimes framed the set of difficulties as part of months of AI stumbles by the company.

Two More AlphaFold Veterans Leave DeepMind for Anthropic

According to Fortune, the most notable recent departure is John Jumper, co-inventor of AlphaFold, the protein structure prediction system that earned DeepMind international scientific recognition, who has already left the lab for Anthropic. Jumper was followed by two other AlphaFold project veterans, Jonas Adler and Alexander Pritzel, deepening a list of exits that already included names such as Noam Shazeer, Gemini's former technical co-lead.

Engineers Cite Aggressive Poaching and an Eroding Line With Google

According to the report, engineers interviewed by Fortune attribute the departures to a combination of aggressive poaching by competitors, falling behind rivals on coding benchmarks, and pursuit of pre-IPO equity at rival startups. Several also expressed concern that the historic line between DeepMind and parent Google is eroding, with technical decision making power shifting from London, DeepMind's historic home, to Mountain View. A Google spokesperson disputed these characterizations to Fortune.

Direct Pressure From Sergey Brin, According to Another Report

A separate report published by ResultSense on August 13 states that Google co-founder Sergey Brin spent months directly pressuring senior AI staff to concentrate efforts on Gemini, reinforcing the sense that the parent company has been getting increasingly directly involved in the lab's technical decisions.

Why It Matters for Brazilian Agencies and SMBs

For Brazilian agencies building products on Gemini or Google's Vertex AI, the combination of recurring launch delays with underperformance against rivals on independent benchmarks is a concrete roadmap risk signal, distinct from just a leadership reorganization. It reinforces a recommendation MaxAssistant has already made in earlier coverage of this story: keep a tested alternative model from another vendor ready for critical service and automation operations, avoiding exclusive dependence on a lab that, according to internal sources, is facing concrete difficulties keeping pace with the competition.