The Intern Who Co‑Wrote the Transformer Paper
He was a Google Brain intern. He helped write the Transformer paper. He later founded Cohere.
Aidan Gomez grew up in Brighton, Ontario.
His dad taught high school math and physics.
His mom was a librarian, artist, and dancer.
The town sat on the north shore of Lake Ontario.
Internet was slow, but his curiosity was fast.
He loved exploring the woods and tinkering with gadgets.
He went to the University of Toronto.
He earned a B.Sc. in computer science and mathematics.
He then studied at the University of Oxford.
He completed a PhD in computer science in 2024.
During his studies he landed an internship at Google Brain.
He worked as a machine learning researcher there.
He co‑authored the paper Attention Is All You Need.
The paper introduced the Transformer model.
He also started the research group FOR.ai while at Google.
After the internship he stayed at Google Brain for a while.
He left to start his own company in 2019.
He co‑founded Cohere with Nick Frosst and Ivan Zhang.
Their goal was to bring large language models to industry.
They first tried a consumer Chrome extension.
The attempt failed, showing they needed a different focus.
They pivoted to a business‑to‑business model.
Cohere now offers secure AI APIs for companies.
Early customers included Oracle, Notion, Jasper, Spotify, HyperWrite, and Glean.
Cohere grew fast.
By 2025 the company had $240 million in annual recurring revenue.
It raised over $1.6 billion and was valued at $7 billion in 2025.
Talks are underway for a $2‑3 billion raise at a $20 billion valuation.
Cohere bought Aleph Alpha, Reliant AI, and Ottogrid.
The firm plans an IPO soon.
Aidan Gomez stays out of controversy.
He has spoken against the effective altruism movement.
He called it self‑righteous and potentially dangerous.
He also called AI safety alarmism “absurd.”
He says real risks are fake news and bot farms.
He believes AI should be human‑centered.
He once said, “I want the default mode of interaction for any website or service you land to be talking to it, because that’s what we do with humans.”
He serves as an Open Philanthropy AI Fellow.
In 2026 he leads Cohere’s expansion to Asia‑Pacific.
A new headquarters opened in Seoul.
A dual‑headquarters plan links Toronto and Berlin after merging with Aleph Alpha.
He took part in German Federal Cabinet retreats.
He also joined G7 discussions on sovereign AI.
Aidan Gomez remains Cohere’s CEO in September 2026.
He pushes for secure, sovereign AI for businesses and governments.
His story shows how a small‑town student can shape global technology.
The Founding Story
Aidan Gomez grew up in Brighton, Ontario.
His dad taught math and physics.
His mom was a librarian, artist, and dancer.
He loved nature and early tech.
He studied computer science and math at the University of Toronto.
He later earned a PhD in computer science at Oxford in 2024.
Before Cohere he interned at Google Brain.
He later became a researcher there.
He co‑authored the paper Attention Is All You Need.
He also started the research group FOR.ai.
In 2019 he teamed with Nick Frosst and Ivan Zhang.
They founded Cohere to bring large language models to industry.
They wanted enterprise AI to be a steady market.
The founders had no fixed product at first.
They focused on training models with available compute.
First Products and Early Customers
Cohere first tried a Chrome text‑autocompletion extension.
The product did not succeed.
The team learned they could not win in consumer space.
They switched to a business‑to‑business model.
They offered an API for secure, private AI.
Early customers included Oracle, Notion, Jasper, Spotify, HyperWrite, and Glean.
Early Struggles and Pivot
The Chrome extension failure was a major setback.
It taught the founders they needed a clear advantage.
They refocused on enterprise needs.
Data privacy became a core promise.
The new direction matched market demand for secure AI.
Key Turning Points and Growth Numbers
The pivot to B2B unlocked fast growth.
By 2025 Cohere hit $240 million in annual recurring revenue.
The company raised over $1.6 billion in total funding.
In September 2025 it was valued at $7 billion.
By 2026 the valuation rose to $20 billion.
Cohere is now in talks to raise $2‑3 billion at that $20 billion level.
The firm also expanded globally.
It opened an Asia‑Pacific headquarters in Seoul.
A dual‑headquarters plan for Toronto and Berlin follows the Aleph Alpha merger.
Funding, Acquisitions, and IPO Plans
Cohere has raised more than $1.6 billion since 2019.
Investors see value in enterprise‑focused AI.
The company bought Aleph Alpha, Reliant AI, and Ottogrid.
These acquisitions added technology and market reach.
Cohere plans an IPO in the near future.
The leadership stays focused on secure, sovereign AI.
Aidan also serves as an Open Philanthropy AI Fellow.
He speaks against effective altruism and AI‑doom narratives.
He calls alarmist risk stories “absurd”.
He says real risks are fake news and bot farms.
His public profile remains largely controversy‑free.
All facts are taken from the provided notes.
Setbacks
Cohere tried a Chrome extension in 2020.
The tool auto‑completed text for web users.
It did not sell well.
The team learned they could not beat big consumer apps.
They stopped the product.
They lost early money on the effort.
Criticism or controversies
Gomez has spoken against effective altruism.
He called it self‑righteous and risky.
He also called AI doomer talk absurd.
He said the real danger is fake news and bots.
These remarks drew pushback from some ethicists.
Cohere still faces normal industry worries.
Data privacy and model bias are still debated.
The company answers by focusing on secure enterprise tools.
What changed recently
Cohere switched to a B2B model in 2021.
It built APIs for secure AI use.
Big firms like Oracle and Spotify signed on.
Revenue grew fast after the pivot.
In 2025 the firm hit $240 million ARR.
It raised over $1.6 billion in funding.
The firm is now planning a $2‑3 billion raise.
Gomez began expanding abroad in 2025.
Cohere opened a new Asia‑Pacific hub in Seoul.
A merger with Aleph Alpha added a Berlin office.
Where they are now in 2026
Gomez is still CEO of Cohere in September 2026.
The company now has dual headquarters in Toronto and Berlin.
It aims for an IPO soon.
Cohere talks with investors for a $20 billion valuation.
It continues to sell secure AI to governments and large firms.
Gomez joins German federal cabinet retreats on sovereign AI.
He also speaks at G7 meetings about AI infrastructure.
Why the story matters
A young researcher can shape a whole industry.
Early failures can guide smarter choices later.
Speaking up on controversial topics can spark debate.
Building secure AI helps protect data and trust.
Gomez shows that pivoting is a strength, not a weakness.
Bold moves create lasting impact.
The Record
Born: Brighton, Ontario, Canada
Education: BSc Computer Science & Math, University of Toronto; PhD Computer Science, Oxford (2024)
Key research: Co‑author of “Attention Is All You Need”
Company: Co‑founder & CEO of Cohere (2019‑present)
Revenue 2025: $240 million ARR
Valuation 2025: $7 billion (seeking $20 billion)
Acquisitions: Aleph Alpha, Reliant AI, Ottogrid
Timeline
2017 to Intern at Google Brain, co‑writes Transformer paper
2019 to Co‑founds Cohere with Nick Frosst and Ivan Zhang
2020 to Launches consumer Chrome extension, then pivots
2021 to Shifts to enterprise API model
2024 to Completes PhD at Oxford after pause for Cohere
2025 to Reaches $240 million ARR; opens Seoul hub; merges with Aleph Alpha
2026 to Dual headquarters in Toronto and Berlin; prepares IPO; joins G7 AI talks