Founder of Google DeepMind who was poached explains his first month at Microsoft
Inflection
- Mustafa Suleyman, a founder of Google's DeepMind AI lab, has worked for Microsoft for about a month.
- He said his short tenure is "one of the most exciting and fulfilling times I've ever experienced."
- Microsoft, Suleyman said, is "a truly AI-first business."
Mustafa Suleyman, who co-founded Google's DeepMind AI lab and was the chief executive of the startup Inflection AI before Microsoft lured him away in March, is excited about his new gig.
"I've been at Microsoft for just over a month. It's been an exhilarating journey getting to know a huge number of people, organizations and projects, without doubt one of the most exciting and fulfilling times I've ever experienced," he wrote Monday in a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter.
2/5 The company is defined by a genuinely supportive and strong culture from top to bottom. It's rare to see this at any scale of business. But it's made joining and getting used to everything super easy. Thank you to everyone for being so welcoming (and patient) as we've been…
— Mustafa Suleyman (@mustafasuleyman) May 6, 2024
He said the company has a "genuinely supportive and strong culture from top to bottom," which is rare in any size business, but it seems the bigger draw for him is that "AI is everything" at Microsoft.
"Microsoft is a truly AI-first business driving the biggest technological transformation of our time," Suleyman wrote, praising the leadership of Satya Nadella, Microsoft's CEO, as well as Chief Technology Officer Kevin Scott. "I knew this already of course... But seeing this in practice, at this scale, is impressive."
4/5 Responsible AI is a cornerstone. Everyone is working hard to define new norms and everyone I've met feels a deep responsibility to do so with an open heart and a humble mind... Massive kudos to all the teams working on this!
— Mustafa Suleyman (@mustafasuleyman) May 6, 2024
When Nadella announced Suleyman's move to Microsoft in March, he said the company was gearing up to take a shot at building technology "that was once thought impossible and that lives up to our mission to ensure the benefits of AI reach every person and organization on the planet, safely and responsibly."
Suleyman, who has previously described AI as a "fundamentally labor-replacing" tool, has indicated that he takes that responsibility particularly seriously — and on Monday said he's glad his new company does, too.
5/5 At Microsoft AI we are up for this. We are building products and shaping a future of massive positive impact. It's still only the beginning of a long journey ahead, but we have a vision for Copilot that is ambitious and, we believe, truly transformational. I couldn't be more…
— Mustafa Suleyman (@mustafasuleyman) May 6, 2024
"Responsible AI is a cornerstone," Suleyman wrote on X, adding: "It's still only the beginning of a long journey ahead, but we have a vision for Copilot that is ambitious and, we believe, truly transformational. I couldn't be more energized. Let's make it happen!"
Business Insider reported in March that users aren't quite sold on Microsoft's Copilot yet, with some complaining that it doesn't perform as well as OpenAI's ChatGPT — but, based on his most recent comments, it appears Suleyman is up for the challenge of making Microsoft's tech a real competitor in the AI space.
Suleyman did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.