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It is more gut feel than a rational or carefully reasoned argument. I think Pichai has been an exceptional revenue maximizer but he lacks vision. I think he is

It is more gut feel than a rational or carefully reasoned argument. I think Pichai has been an exceptional revenue maximizer but he lacks vision. I think he is probably capable of squeezing tremendous revenue out of AI once it has been achieved. I like Hassabis in a "good vibe" way when I hear him speak. He reminds me of engineers that I have worked with personally and have gained my respect. He feels less like a product focused leader and more of a research focused leader (AlphaZero/AlphaFold) which I think will be critical to continue the advances necessary to push the envelope. I like his focus on games and his background in RL. Google's war chest of Ad money gives Hassabis the flexibility to invest in non-revenue generating directions in a way that Altman is unlikely to be able to do. Altman made a decision to pivot the company towards product which led to the exodus of early research talent.

sumedh 1y ago
> Altman made a decision to pivot the company towards product which led to the exodus of early research talent. Who was going to fund the research though?
- zoogeny 1y ago
  Fair point, and a good reminder not to pass judgement on the actions of others. It is totally possible that Altman made his own prediction of the future and theorized that the only hope he had of competing with the existing big tech companies to realistically achieve an AI for the masses was to show investors a path to profitability. I should also give Altman a bit more due in that I find his description of a world augmented by powerful AI to be more inspiring than any similar vision I've heard from Pichai. But I'm not trying to guess their intentions, I am just stating the situation as I see it. And that situation is one where whatever forces have caused it, OpenAI is clearly investing very heavily in product (e.g. windsurf acquisition, even suggesting building a social network). And that shift in focus seems highly correlated with a loss of significant research talent (as well as a healthy dose of boardroom drama).

sumedh 1y ago

> Altman made a decision to pivot the company towards product which led to the exodus of early research talent. Who was going to fund the research though?

zoogeny 1y ago
Fair point, and a good reminder not to pass judgement on the actions of others. It is totally possible that Altman made his own prediction of the future and theorized that the only hope he had of competing with the existing big tech companies to realistically achieve an AI for the masses was to show investors a path to profitability. I should also give Altman a bit more due in that I find his description of a world augmented by powerful AI to be more inspiring than any similar vision I've heard from Pichai. But I'm not trying to guess their intentions, I am just stating the situation as I see it. And that situation is one where whatever forces have caused it, OpenAI is clearly investing very heavily in product (e.g. windsurf acquisition, even suggesting building a social network). And that shift in focus seems highly correlated with a loss of significant research talent (as well as a healthy dose of boardroom drama).