Mustafa Suleyman, one of the co-founders of DeepMind, the UK-based startup known for its advancements in machine learning technology, has been appointed to lead a new AI division at Microsoft. Suleyman was previously the co-founder and CEO of the AI startup Inflection. This move comes as a surprise, as Suleyman is leaving his role at Inflection, along with his co-founder Karén Simonyan, to join Microsoft, which is a major competitor to Google, the company that acquired DeepMind in 2014.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced the appointment in an official blog post and email, expressing his admiration for Suleyman’s visionary leadership and his ability to build pioneering teams. Suleyman will take on the role of EVP and CEO of Microsoft AI, reporting directly to Nadella. Simonyan will join as Chief Scientist, reporting to Suleyman.
Suleyman expressed his excitement about joining Microsoft on social media platform X, stating that he will be leading all consumer AI products and research, including Copilot, Bing, and Edge. He also mentioned that several of their team members from Inflection will be joining them at Microsoft.
While this move is seen as a positive development by many, there are some concerns raised by others on social media. Suleyman has faced accusations of bullying behavior during his time at Google DeepMind, which led to him being stripped of most of his management duties. He later apologized for his behavior and was moved into a role focusing on AI policy. The allegations of bullying resurfaced in a Business Insider article, citing interviews with former employees who claimed confidential settlements were made with those who had complained about Suleyman’s conduct.
These concerns about Suleyman’s past behavior and fears of consolidation of power in the AI sector have created some skepticism about the appointment. However, Microsoft seems determined to move forward with its plans to launch a new AI division, even if it means having a controversial figure at its helm.
Interestingly, this announcement comes after Microsoft’s previous plan to hire OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman to lead a new AI division. Altman was later reinstated as CEO of OpenAI, causing some confusion and speculation. Now, with Suleyman joining Microsoft, it seems that the company is still committed to expanding its AI capabilities and solidifying its position in the industry.
Overall, Suleyman’s appointment as the head of Microsoft AI marks a significant development in the AI landscape. It will be interesting to see how he and his team contribute to the advancements in AI technology and how Microsoft’s AI division will compete with its rivals in the field.