The four are launching Discovery Loop, a public benefit corporation based in Palo Alto, with Dean expected to serve as chief executive. The startup plans to initially focus on automating machine-learning research itself before expanding into areas such as hardware design, drug discovery and clean energy. The round remains open, and Discovery Loop has not disclosed a valuation. The departures were announced alongside a broader leadership reorganization at Google DeepMind. Koray Kavukcuoglu, DeepMind's chief technology officer, is being elevated to senior vice president of Google DeepMind, reporting directly to Pichai.