Microsoft AI Chief Raids Google’s Talent Pool: Report
Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman has reportedly hired at least two dozen Google DeepMind executives, luring them with a startup-like culture to boost Copilot and compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT
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Microsoft’s AI head Mustafa Suleyman has been recruiting aggressively from Google’s DeepMind unit in recent months, luring at least two dozen executives in a bid to strengthen the company’s position in the AI race, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Suleyman, who co-founded DeepMind before joining Microsoft last year, has been personally calling former colleagues and pitching them on the idea that Microsoft’s AI division offers a nimbler, more startup-like environment than DeepMind, which has grown more bureaucratic under Google’s ownership, the paper said, citing people familiar with the matter.
The recruits include senior figures such as Adam Sadovsky, a former DeepMind distinguished engineer, and Ainar Abdrashitov, previously vice-president of engineering at Google.
While Microsoft’s pay packages for these hires have not matched the scale of offers from Meta, such as $300 million contracts for researchers, they have reportedly exceeded DeepMind’s compensation, especially for long-tenured employees.
DeepMind’s workforce has expanded to about 6,000 employees, and several of those joining Microsoft told the WSJ they were seeking to escape Google’s slower-moving, hierarchical culture.
Former Google executives described the shift as a reversal from 20 years ago, when the search giant lured Microsoft talent with promises of more action and less bureaucracy.
The poaching comes amid intensifying competition between Big Tech companies and well-funded startups such as OpenAI and Anthropic for a small pool of engineers skilled in advanced AI systems.
Suleyman has been tasked by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella with building a top-tier AI team capable of turning products like Copilot into stronger competitors to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, according to the WSJ.
Google has acknowledged higher attrition rates in its AI division and confirmed it has hired employees from Microsoft in return.
Both companies have recently stepped up investment in AI infrastructure, with Microsoft expanding its in-house chip design efforts and Google boosting data center capacity.
