Indian-origin AI expert Amar Subramanya has made headlines after leaving Google! After dedicating 16 years to the Sundar Pichai-led software firm, Subramanya joined Microsoft as Corporate Vice President of AI. And guess what was his first reaction to the culture at the Redmond-based software and AI behemoth? He called the atmosphere refreshingly low-ego driven, which bursts with ambition.
Subramanya, who has a total of 24 years in the technology industry, shared his excitement to join the place and was impressed by the work culture at Microsoft. In his recent LinkedIn post, Subramanya elaborated on what drew him to Microsoft.
“The work culture here is refreshingly low ego yet bursting with ambition. The pace of innovation is exhilarating. My new colleagues are collaborative, grounded, and share a startup-like hustle,” wrote the new VP of AI. He also highlighted the company’s energy and commitment to cutting-edge AI work, especially with projects like Microsoft Copilot, which he described as “pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with AI.”
Subramanya has experience in Gemini
Before taking up his new position at Microsoft, Amar Subramanya was the head of engineering for Google’s Gemini chatbot, where he garnered deep expertise in developing advanced AI products. Google’s Gemini may not have been leading the industry at any point in time, but it has evolved dramatically over the past few years. Subramanya’s presence in Microsoft’s AI team could help accelerate the company’s progress in this department. Currently, Microsoft relies on OpenAI’s GPT models to power its CoPilot AI chatbot on its Windows systems.
Subramanya said he was inspired by “some truly amazing conversations” with Microsoft’s top leadership, including CEO Satya Nadella and CEO of Microsoft AI, Mustafa Suleyman. He said that the discussions with Nadella and Suleyman “were both inspiring and humbling, showcasing a clear vision for the future of AI.”
Microsoft is on an AI hiring spree
Microsoft’s top new hire comes amid a significant AI talent inroads at Microsoft. Recently, the company has also recruited 24 engineers and researchers from Google’s DeepMind team. Simultaneously, the company drew a lot of criticism for layoff off close to 9,100 employees from all across its offices in a bid to make space for AI-driven applications. Other than the layoffs in the Xbox division, Microsoft also ended its operations in Pakistan without citing any reasons.
On the sidelines, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg also made some high-profile hires with lavish salary packages for his Meta Superintelligence Labs team – an effort that would help the company’s cause in the AI race.
