Microsoft hires over 20 AI researchers from Google DeepMind
What's the story
Microsoft has hired over 20 employees from Alphabet's Google DeepMind AI research lab, CNBC reported. The move comes as part of the tech giant's efforts to bolster its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and improve products like the consumer-facing Copilot assistant and Bing search engine.
Leadership shift
Microsoft hires VP of engineering for Gemini AI chatbot
Amar Subramanya, a former Google employee of 16 years and the vice president of engineering for the Gemini assistant, has joined Microsoft AI as a corporate vice president. The news was announced by Subramanya himself on LinkedIn. His move to Microsoft will bolster the tech giant's efforts in improving its own AI chatbot, called Copilot.
Talent acquisition
Other Google DeepMind employees who joined Microsoft
In June, Adam Sadovsky, a distinguished software engineer and senior director at DeepMind with nearly 18 years of experience at Google, also joined Microsoft. He now serves as a corporate vice president at Microsoft AI. Earlier this month, Sonal Gupta, an engineering lead from Google DeepMind, announced her move to Mustafa Suleyman's Microsoft AI team. Jonas Rothfuss also took a technical staff role at Microsoft AI in May after spending a year as a research scientist at Google DeepMind.
Industry competition
Microsoft's aggressive hiring spree and impending layoffs
The recruitment of Google DeepMind employees by Microsoft comes amid a fierce competition among tech giants for AI experts. Last month, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed that Meta offered $100 million signing bonuses to the start-up's employees. Despite the aggressive recruitment strategies, Microsoft has also announced plans to lay off around 9,000 employees, which is less than 4% of its global workforce.