A key DeepMind robotics researcher left Google and Nvidia has already backed his stealth startup | TechCrunch
Mar 19, 2025 - techcrunch.com
Pete Florence, a former senior research scientist at DeepMind, has left Google to establish his own robotics startup, Generalist AI, which has already secured investment from Nvidia. Florence, now the CEO of Generalist AI, announced the venture at Nvidia's GTC conference, where it was revealed that the startup is still largely in stealth mode. The mission of Generalist AI is to develop general-purpose robots, aiming to make robots capable of performing any task, thereby reducing the marginal cost of physical labor to zero. Kamyar Ghasemipour, a former DeepMind student researcher, has joined as a founding technical staff member.
Florence's departure is part of a broader trend of DeepMind alumni founding their own companies, such as Reflection AI and Latent Labs. Despite leaving DeepMind, Florence's work continues to be influential, as evidenced by its citation in recent DeepMind robotics research. While details about Generalist AI's specific projects remain undisclosed, the focus on robotics is clear. Nvidia and Google have not commented on the development.
Key takeaways:
Pete Florence, a former senior research scientist at DeepMind, has left Google to start his own robotics company, Generalist AI, with investment from Nvidia.
Generalist AI aims to create general-purpose robots, and the company is currently in stealth mode.
Kamyar Ghasemipour, a former DeepMind student researcher, has joined Generalist AI as a founding technical staff member.
Florence's departure is part of a trend of DeepMind alumni founding their own startups, similar to other companies like Reflection AI and Latent Labs.
