OpenAI Hires Another Google Cloud Global Partner Executive

OpenAI continues to hire top talent from Google Cloud this year as Brian Kane, former head of global partner development management, joins the AI startup.

Google Cloud has lost another global executive to OpenAI as Brian Kane, who was tasked with driving global partner development and business agents like Gemini, has officially left the $99 billion cloud company.

The loss of Kane adds to the growing number of top Google leaders who have jumped to OpenAI this year, including Google Cloud’s global partner program leader, Wiz’s president and Google Gemini’s co-leader.

“I loved being a Googler and always strived to be as Googley as I could be,” said Kane, who has also worked at Amazon Web Services and Microsoft, in a recent LinkedIn post.

Kane was head of global partner development management, business agents and platform ecosystem for Google Cloud for the past several years.

He was responsible for overseeing a portfolio of technology partners that drove billions in Google Cloud consumption, AI services and Google Cloud Marketplace transactions.

Kane also led a group of partners that have launched Gemini Enterprise solutions and Gemini models for agents, according to his LinkedIn profile, as well as leading a team of global partner development managers.

“I am excited to share that I’ve joined OpenAI as a Member of the Go To Market Staff,” said Kane on LinkedIn. “Thank you to the OpenAI GTM team for the warm welcome.”

Kane could not be reached for comment by press time.

OpenAI Nabs Google Cloud Partner Programs Leaders; Launches Inaugural Partner Program

This year, Google Cloud’s global partner programs leader, Colleen Kapase, left to join OpenAI.

In addition, Google Cloud’s Partner Network managing director, Philip Larson, recently departed to join OpenAI.

Both Larson and Kapase were instrumental in the creation and launch of Google Cloud’s new partner program—the Google Cloud Partner Network—which went live in January.

Kapase and Larson are now leading the newly launched OpenAI Partner Network.

It’s not just partner executives that OpenAI is nabbing from Google Cloud.

Google made the largest acquisition in the company’s history this year with the purchase of cybersecurity superstar Wiz for $32 billion.

Last month, OpenAI hired Wiz’s president and COO, Dali Rajic. He is now tasked with leading OpenAI’s global revenue organization as the company’s new global CRO.

Another huge OpenAI hire was AI guru and co-leader of Google Gemini, Noam Shazeer. Shazeer is a longtime Google AI veteran who left Google in 2021 to lead Character.AI. In 2024, Google reportedly paid $2.7 billion to rehire Shazeer along with key members of his Character.AI team and its technology to help elevate Google Gemini. Shazeer was vice president of engineering and co-leader of Google’s Gemini, which competes directly against companies like OpenAI.

“OpenAI and others are opening up their wallet for top-tier talent right now,” said Sepehr Noorizadeh, president of solution provider BizCloud Experts. “And they have a very large wallet, by the way.”

Noorizadeh expects superstar AI startups Anthropic and OpenAI to invest in acquiring proven industry talent for the foreseeable future.

“I think OpenAI and Anthopic’s channel is going to grow and grow,” Noorizadeh said. “We’re seeing a lot of our customers that are coming to us as users of Claude or GPT with them being on [cloud] platforms.”

Kane’s AWS And Microsoft History

Prior to joining Google Cloud in 2022, Kane was head of global ISV partner management for rival Amazon Web Services for over two years.

He helped lead global co-sales with partners and established a co-sell Center of Excellence at AWS, according to his LinkedIn.

Kane also worked for Microsoft as a presales manager for Microsoft Cloud from 2007 to 2010.

He also was the principal global product manager for emerging technologies at HP Inc.; a director of business development for software partnerships at augmented reality firm Magic Leap; as well as a director of business development for cloud and software for virtual reality provider VIVE.

Kane, for his part, said it was a difficult decision to leave Google.

“Since Google’s inception, I have always admired its mission and the incredible products they build. Google also is ‘employee obsessed’ and takes care of Googlers like few other companies do,” he said. “It’s a difficult decision to leave a company as incredible as Google.”

Google Cloud reported $24.8 billion in total cloud revenue for the second quarter of 2026, bringing its annual run rate to $99 billion.