Microsoft has recruited over 20 engineers from Google DeepMind as major tech companies compete for dominance in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

A fierce competition is unfolding within the US tech sector.

While rivalries have always been intense among the industry’s leading players, the current tensions are unprecedented.

The driving force behind this is, quite simply, AI.

In recent months, the competition for skilled AI engineers has escalated, with numerous executives and computer scientists leaving to join rival firms.

Companies like Meta, OpenAI, Apple, Amazon, and others among the leading AI firms in the US have been actively seeking to attract talent from each other or from promising AI startups.

The latest casualty in this trend is Google’s DeepMind, which has seen Microsoft hire over 20 AI specialists to enhance its Copilot technology.

Amar Subramanya, the former Head of Engineering for Google’s Gemini chatbot, confirmed his transition to Microsoft as Corporate Vice President of AI this week.

“The culture here is refreshingly low-ego yet filled with ambition,” Amar, the highest-ranking DeepMind executive to join Microsoft, stated in a LinkedIn post.

Microsoft’s recruitment efforts have also brought on board Engineering Lead Sonal Gupta, Software Engineer Adam Sadovsky, and Product Manager Tim Frank, according to sources familiar with the company’s hiring strategy.

In total, the Redmond-based firm has successfully convinced at least 24 DeepMind employees to make the switch in the past six months.