What just happened? Microsoft is hiring one of the biggest and more controversial figures in the AI world to lead its new artificial intelligence unit. Mustafa Suleyman, the co-founder of Google's DeepMind and chief executive of AI startup Inflection, will become CEO and EVP of Microsoft AI. The organization is focused on Microsoft's consumer AI products, including Copilot, Bing, Edge, and GenAI.
"I've known Mustafa for several years and have greatly admired him as a founder of both DeepMind and Inflection, and as a visionary, product maker, and builder of pioneering teams that go after bold missions," wrote Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
I'm excited to announce that today I'm joining @Microsoft as CEO of Microsoft AI. I'll be leading all consumer AI products and research, including Copilot, Bing and Edge. My friend and longtime collaborator Karén Simonyan will be Chief Scientist, and several of our amazing…
– Mustafa Suleyman (@mustafasuleyman) March 19, 2024
Suleyman co-founded DeepMind in London back in 2010. Four years later, the company was acquired by Google for $500 million. He leaves his current role as CEO of Inflection, which he co-founded after leaving Google in 2022. Co-founder Karén Simonyan and others from the startup are following him to Microsoft.
Suleyman has been a figure of controversy over the years. In 2019, he was placed on leave from DeepMind over some of the projects he led, including one involving the UK's National Health Service where London's Royal Free Hospital illegally gave DeepMind access to 1.6 million patient records, according to the UK's data privacy watchdog.
In 2021, The Wall Street Journal reported that Suleyman had been stripped of his management duties at DeepMind following complaints that he bullied staff. Google said he undertook professional development training to address areas of concern, while Suleyman himself told the WSJ that he "drove people too hard, and at times my management style was not constructive. I apologize unequivocally to those who were affected."
My heart goes out to the women hurt by this person. IIUC, some of you are gagged, and this must seem like a slap in the face. He once yelled at me for having a PhD.https://t.co/VXd6My4diN https://t.co/0tCRkhvyFQ
– MMitchell (@mmitchell_ai) March 19, 2024
More reports of Suleyman's bullying came in August 2021, when he was accused of flying off the handle, yelling, humiliation, and causing employees to cry after meeting with him. Margaret Mitchell, chief ethics scientist and a researcher at Hugging Face, wrote on X that Suleyman once yelled at her for having a PhD.
Multiple people said Suleyman would sometimes scream at employees in group meetings and one-on-ones.
– Business Insider (@BusinessInsider) August 6, 2021
He would also "gossip" in the office about firing certain people and would sometimes act on it, these people said.https://t.co/d4uFUUfyyO pic.twitter.com/wbwSZgkros
Microsoft is becoming a dominant force in the generative artificial intelligence industry, having invested $13 billion in OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, as it pushes to integrate more of the AI giant's tech into Microsoft products. The Redmond firm will be hoping to cement its position with the acquisition of Suleyman, whose departure from Inflection, along with several other employees, will be a blow to the startup.
