The co-founder of Russian tech group Yandex is launching an artificial intelligence venture in Europe mostly staffed with the company’s former employees after its parent this week concluded a deal to exit the country.
Arkady Volozh, one of only two prominent Russian businessmen to condemn Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, will head up Nebius Group, an AI infrastructure company and formerly Yandex’s Nasdaq-listed, Netherlands-based parent company.
The move marks Volozh’s efforts to salvage some of Yandex’s former international operations after Russia’s war in Ukraine roiled the company and prompted thousands of its staff to flee the country.