CEO of Microsoft AI and co-founder of DeepMind, Mustafa Suleyman has appointed several former colleagues to head Microsoft’s AI initiatives.
A new Microsoft AI office has been established in Zurich, Switzerland, with three additional former Google DeepMind employees as starting members. Microsoft is fiercely competing with other digital behemoths like Google, Salesforce, and OpenAI in the AI market.
Google recently lost some talents after Mustafa Suleyman, the head of AI intelligence at Microsoft, hired three DeepMind employees.
Microsoft has announced that Matthias Minderer, Zalán Borsos, and Marco Tagliasacchi will be the founding members of its new AI office in Zurich, Switzerland.
For Suleyman, all three of those new hires are familiar. Borsos, Minderer, and Tagliasacchi were all employed at DeepMind. Suleyman spent about 12 years working at DeepMind, where he co-founded the company in 2010. He later founded Inflection, an AI start-up.
Suleyman joined Microsoft in 2024, along with several other Inflection employees. He now has three more former coworkers from DeepMind. This most recent hiring round carries on Microsoft’s practice of hiring DeepMind staff.
Several former DeepMind personnel were taken by Microsoft in December 2024. They include Dominic King, who is currently Microsoft’s vice president of the AI health division. Three other former DeepMind employees also joined Microsoft at about the same time that King joined.
Here’s How All Three New Hires Gave The Update On Their LinkedIn Handles
Tagliasacchi and Borsos will be in charge of audio development in AI. They both contributed to the development of Google’s Audio Overviews, which simulates a podcast by using two AI hosts to discuss various subjects. Minderer’s work at Microsoft will be centered on visual skills.
“Pleased to announce I have joined Microsoft AI as a founding member of the new Zurich office. I will be working on audio, collaborating with teams in London, and the US. AI continues to be a transformative force, with audio playing a critical role in shaping more natural, intuitive, and immersive interactions. Looking forward to the journey ahead.” — Marco Tagliasacchi
“Thrilled to share that I have joined Microsoft AI as a founding member of the new Zurich office. I will be focusing on advancing the audio capabilities alongside an outstanding team. Looking forward to the exciting journey ahead!” — Zalán Borsos
“I have joined Microsoft AI as a founding member of the new Zurich office, where we are assembling a fantastic team. I will be working on vision capabilities with colleagues in London and the US, and I can’t wait to get started. There’s lots to do!” — Matthias Minderer
Credit: Geekwire
