Latest news with #Suleyman
Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Microsoft snapped up dozens of Google DeepMind staffers in recent months: Report
Google DeepMind has lost over two dozen AI developers to Microsoft in the past few months, according to a report by CNBC. The Windows maker has hired at least 24 former Google staffers to join the AI team within the company that is led by Mustafa Suleyman, who reports to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Interestingly, Suleyman is one of the co-founders of DeepMind which was acquired by Google back in 2014. Demis Hassabis, another DeepMind co-founder, is now at the helm of the Google AI research division. In 2022, Suleyman exited Google to establish his own startup called Inflection. However, he joined Microsoft last year to lead its AI team along with several other employees who had worked with him at Inflection. The migration of talent from Google to Microsoft comes amid a rapidly intensifying AI talent war. It also follows Microsoft's announcement earlier this month that it was laying off around 9,000 employees or around 4 per cent of its global workforce. Some of the engineers who have been part of the movement of talent are Amar Subramanya, Adam Sadovsky, Sonal Gupta, and Jonas Rothfuss, among others. Subramanya reportedly worked at Google for 16 years and most recently served as the vice president of engineering developing the tech giant's Gemini AI assistant. He has now joined Microsoft AI as a corporate vice president, according to a post on LinkedIn. Sadovsky's stint at Google lasted 18 years. His prior position at the company was senior director at DeepMind. He is now a corporate vice president at Microsoft AI. Until June this year, Gupta was an engineering lead at Google DeepMind. Now, her LinkedIn profile says that she is a member of the technical staff on Suleyman's Microsoft AI team. After a year as an AI research scientist at DeepMind, Rothfuss also joined Microsoft AI in May this year as part of its technical staff. While Microsoft does not appear to have actively poached these individuals, it underscores how AI researchers and engineers are increasingly being traded like star athletes. Among the big tech companies, Meta stands out as the most aggressive in poaching talent. The social media giant recently hired Mark Lee and Tom Gunter, two AI researchers who previously worked at Apple. It has also recruited several employees who previously held roles at OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind. Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, claimed that Meta was offering the startup's employees a staggering $100-million signing bonus. The AI researchers who have been poached will be part of Meta's newly formed artificial superintelligence lab that will be led by Alexandr Wang, the co-founder of Scale AI which saw a staggering $14.3 billion investment from Meta last month, along with former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman. Meanwhile, Google successfully hired away the CEO of Windsurf as well as a small group of the AI coding startup's employees in a $2.4 billion deal.
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
How Microsoft vs Google DeepMind talent war is also 'battle' between two CEOs who co-founded the company that is biggest name in AI
Microsoft has recruited more than 24 artificial intelligence employees from Google's DeepMind research division in recent months, marking the latest escalation in a talent war that has taken on deeply personal dimensions between two childhood friends who co-founded the AI lab that became the industry's most influential name. Amar Subramanya, the former head of engineering for Google's Gemini chatbot, became the latest high-profile defection when he announced his appointment as corporate vice-president of AI at Microsoft on Tuesday. His move follows other senior DeepMind staff including engineering lead Sonal Gupta, software engineer Adam Sadovsky, and product manager Tim Frank, according to sources familiar with Microsoft's aggressive recruiting strategy. The poaching campaign has intensified competition for top AI talent, with companies offering unprecedented compensation packages. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently revealed that Meta has offered his employees $100 million signing bonuses to switch sides, describing the behavior as "mercenary." From London friends to Silicon Valley rivals The recruitment battle carries unusual personal stakes because it pits two former DeepMind co-founders against each other. Mustafa Suleyman , who now leads Microsoft's consumer AI strategy, and Sir Demis Hassabis , who runs Google DeepMind, first met as teenagers in north London in the mid-1990s. Despite an eight-year age gap, the pair—Suleyman, son of a taxi driver, and Hassabis, a chess prodigy—bonded over their shared interests. By 2010, they had co-founded DeepMind along with researcher Shane Legg. Google acquired the company for over $500 million in 2014, establishing it as the search giant's AI powerhouse. Their relationship has grown complicated since Suleyman left Google in 2022 to start Inflection AI, which Microsoft effectively acquired last year in a $650 million "acqui-hire" deal that brought Suleyman and most staff to the Seattle-based company. AI talent war heats up between former partners The recruitment drive has created organizational upheaval at Google DeepMind, forcing internal reshuffles as the company struggles to retain key personnel. Internal Google data suggests the stakes are high, with ChatGPT commanding at least 600 million monthly users compared to Gemini's 400 million. Hassabis, who won a chemistry Nobel Prize last year for AI-driven protein research, appears increasingly isolated from his former partner. While Suleyman describes their relationship as "friendly and respectful rivalry," Hassabis has been more dismissive, telling The New York Times that "most of what he has learned about AI comes from working with me." Google maintains that DeepMind's attrition rates remain below industry averages and claims to have poached similar numbers from Microsoft, though the high-profile nature of recent defections suggests the talent war is far from over. In a bigger picture, the recruitment battle reflects the broader arms race for AI talent, with companies offering extraordinary compensation packages. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently criticized Meta for encouraging "mercenary" behavior by offering $100 million sign-on bonuses to lure top developers from rivals. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
International Business Times
10 hours ago
- Business
- International Business Times
Microsoft Recruits 24 AI Experts from Google DeepMind, Including Gemini Chatbot Veteran
Microsoft has hired 24 top engineers, researchers, and product specialists from Google DeepMind, according to a report by the Financial Times . The most high-profile recruit is Amar Subramanya, who previously led engineering for Google's Gemini chatbot. He has now joined Microsoft as Corporate Vice President of AI. X Subramanya spent 16 years at Google. In a LinkedIn post, he praised Microsoft's work culture, calling it "low ego" and "ambitious." He also said the environment reminded him of a startup—fast-moving, collaborative, and focused on building cutting-edge AI products. Subramanya is now working on Microsoft's consumer-facing tools, including Bing and Copilot. This hiring spree is part of Microsoft's broader AI strategy led by Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of DeepMind and now Microsoft's head of consumer AI. Suleyman joined Microsoft in 2024 following the company's $650 million "acqui-hire" of his startup, Inflection AI. Since then, he has built a strong team by leveraging his DeepMind connections. Other DeepMind alumni who have joined Microsoft include engineering lead Sonal Gupta, senior engineer Adam Sadovsky, and product manager Tim Frank. Sadovsky, who spent nearly 18 years at Google, now serves as a corporate VP at Microsoft AI. The tech industry is currently in a fierce race to secure AI talent. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently claimed Meta offered some of his staff $100 million signing bonuses. Meta also reportedly recruited Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang, though Meta denies some of the high figures being reported. Microsoft and Google continue to compete closely in the AI space. Suleyman now competes directly with DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, his former colleague. However, sources close to Google say DeepMind's attrition remains below the industry average. Meanwhile, under Suleyman's leadership, Microsoft recently unveiled an AI diagnostic system claimed to be four times more accurate than human doctors. Called MAI-DxO, the tool combines multiple AI models to assess symptoms and deliver diagnoses. Despite these advancements, Microsoft recently laid off around 9,000 employees globally, raising questions about balancing large-scale AI investment with broader cost-cutting.
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Meta, Microsoft hire top AI talent from DeepMind
Sonal Gupta, a former engineering lead at Google DeepMind, who has joined Suleyman's team as a technical staff member. Adam Sadovsky, previously a software engineer and senior director at DeepMind, with nearly 18 years at Google, who now serves as a corporate VP at Microsoft AI. Jonas Rothfuss, who spent a year at Google DeepMind as a research scientist. He joined Microsoft AI's technical staff in May. Meta has again stepped up efforts to hire top AI experts, reportedly bringing in three more researchers from Google to The Information, Tianhe Yu, Cosmo Du, and Weiyue Wang are the latest additions to Meta's growing AI trio previously worked on a variant of Google's Gemini model, which demonstrated gold-medal-level problem-solving capabilities at this year's International Math new hires bring the total number of former Google employees now working at Meta to at least six, highlighting the company's aggressive recruitment strategy in the AI Microsoft has also made significant talent acquisitions from Google DeepMind. According to CNBC, around two dozen former DeepMind employees have joined Microsoft in recent months, expanding its AI division, which is led by DeepMind cofounder Mustafa Suleyman, who now reports directly to CEO Satya latest hires include Amar Subramanya, a Google veteran of 16 years and former vice president (VP) of engineering, who worked on the Gemini assistant. On Tuesday, he announced on LinkedIn that he has joined Microsoft AI as a corporate who recently joined Microsoft's AI group include:The aggressive hiring among tech giants underscores the intense competition to secure top AI experts. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently claimed that Meta had offered signing bonuses of up to $100 million to lure away talent from his company. However, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that the reported figures are 'inaccurate' Meta's hiring spree has also included high-profile names such as Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang and former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman, alongside numerous OpenAI the other hand, Google hired the CEO and team of AI coding startup Windsurf in a deal reportedly worth $2.4 billion.
India Today
17 hours ago
- Business
- India Today
Microsoft nabs 24 DeepMind AI experts, Amar Subramanya is new AI VP
Microsoft has hired 24 engineers, researchers and product specialists from Google DeepMind, according to a report by Financial Times. Leading the wave of new hires is Amar Subramanya, former head of engineering for Google's Gemini chatbot, who recently joined Microsoft as corporate vice president of AI. Subramanya, who spent 16 years at Google, confirmed the move in a LinkedIn post on Tuesday. 'The culture here is refreshingly low ego yet bursting with ambition,' he wrote, praising Microsoft's team dynamics as he takes on his new role. Subramanya will be contributing to Microsoft's AI products like Copilot and Bing, under the company's consumer AI division. advertisement'Just one week into my new role, I'm already feeling deeply energised. The culture here is refreshingly low ego yet bursting with ambition. It reminds me of the best parts of a startup: fast-moving, collaborative, and deeply focused on building truly innovative, state-of-the-art foundation models to drive delightful AI-powered products such as Microsoft Copilot,' Subramanya's post reads. The hiring spree is part of a wider strategy led by Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of DeepMind and now Microsoft's head of consumer AI. Suleyman joined Microsoft in 2024 after the company acquired most of his startup, Inflection, in a $650 million 'acqui-hire' deal. Since then, he has built a powerful team by tapping into his former DeepMind network. Other notable DeepMind alumni joining Microsoft include engineering lead Sonal Gupta, senior engineer Adam Sadovsky, and product manager Tim Frank. CNBC reports that many of these hires have taken senior roles within the company. Sadovsky, for instance, left Google after nearly 18 years and is now a corporate VP at Microsoft rush for top AI talent is not unique to Microsoft. Big tech companies across the board are offering large incentives to attract researchers and engineers from rivals. OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman recently claimed that Meta had offered his staff $100 million signing bonuses, while Meta also poached Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang to lead its superintelligence team. There have been reports that the signing bonuses from Meta have gone up to $200 million, but the Mark Zuckerberg-led company has repeatedly denied the reports, and said that the numbers are exaggerated. That said, the competition between Microsoft and Google is particularly intense. Suleyman's move to Microsoft has put him in direct competition with his former DeepMind co-founder, Demis Hassabis, who continues to lead the lab at Google. Despite the departures, a person close to Google claims that DeepMind's attrition rate is still below the industry average and that it too has recruited talent from separate news, Microsoft has recently also made headlines in the healthcare AI space. Under Suleyman's leadership, the company recently unveiled a diagnostic tool it claims is four times more accurate than human doctors. The system, called MAI Diagnostic Orchestrator (MAI-DxO), combines the power of leading AI models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini to analyse patient symptoms, run virtual tests, and suggest diagnoses. In trials, the AI outperformed a panel of human doctors on hundreds of complex medical Microsoft has been building its AI portfolio, the company also recently laid off around 9,000 employees, which was roughly 4 per cent of its global workforce, raising questions about the balance between cost-cutting and aggressive hiring in key areas like AI.- EndsMust Watch
