Microsoft Poaches Two Dozen Google DeepMind AI Experts

Microsoft has aggressively expanded its artificial intelligence team by recruiting about two dozen top engineers from Google's DeepMind, including notable figures like Amar Subramanya, a 16-year Google veteran who helped develop the Gemini assistant, and Adam Sadovsky, with nearly 18 years at Google. These hires, who have taken roles such as corporate vice presidents and technical staff, are contributing to Microsoft's AI efforts, particularly around its Copilot assistant and Bing search engine, directly competing with Google's Gemini AI. This talent poaching occurs amid fierce competition in the AI industry, with Meta also investing heavily in AI research and offering multi-million-dollar signing bonuses to attract top talent from rivals. Microsoft’s AI group is led by Mustafa Suleyman, a DeepMind co-founder, highlighting the strategic importance of these hires. Despite Microsoft announcing 9,000 layoffs globally, the company prioritizes securing elite AI talent to solidify its position in the AI race. Meanwhile, Google's stock maintains a positive outlook with analysts rating it as an 'Outperform', reflecting confidence despite the talent departures.