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Mustafa Suleyman the CEO of Microsoft AI and the co-founder of DeepMind recently spoke about some of the AI industry’s biggest players and leaders during an interview with Bloomberg. Suleyman talked about his experiences working with and observing some of the industry’s well-known figures including Sam Altman the CEO of OpenAI as well as other familiar names like Elon Musk who is known for his involvement with xAI in addition to his other ventures. Suleyman’s take on how these figures approach their work helps to show just how leadership in AI is going in a space where collaboration and competition are key to its future. On Sam Altman “One of This Generation’s Great Entrepreneurs” The interview began with Suleyman talking about his former colleague at OpenAI and current CEO Sam Altman. Suleyman praised Altman describing him as both brave and far-sighted with a big idea that he is determined to execute at scale. This is exemplified by Altman’s goal of building a global infrastructure for OpenAI which includes the company rapidly building AI data centers in strategic locations all over the world in order to support their newest model ChatGPT as well as future OpenAI products. This Suleyman posits is what could lead Altman to being recognized as “one of the great entrepreneurs of our generation.” The high praise from Suleyman about Altman may seem to be surprising as there have been quite a few analysts journalists and other members of the industry who have pointed out that Altman’s spending at OpenAI has been both voracious and focused on highly ambitious goals that may not be sustainable in the long term. Suleyman however has put his trust in Altman and OpenAI’s ability to continue with that vision with an emphasis on scale. A “Bulldozer” like Elon Musk Suleyman when asked about Elon Musk had some interesting things to say. In the interview he described Musk as “a bulldozer” a term he used to elicit admiration and describe a person who thinks and operates in unconventional ways in the world of technology. Suleyman gave credit to Musk’s “superhuman capabilities to bend reality to his will” while also talking about his many efforts to upend the status quo in a variety of fields including but not limited to electric vehicles space travel and even artificial intelligence. Suleyman also didn’t hold back when describing Musk’s approach to public communication and his tendency to attempt the seemingly impossible despite warnings. He added that Musk has an unusual value system when compared to others in Silicon Valley as he often aims to create new paths without the usual regard for potential failures or costs. Mutual Respect in the AI Industry Aside from Altman and Musk Suleyman also had some nice words about Demis Hassabis the co-founder of DeepMind and one of the earliest figures in the AI research industry. In his response Suleyman calls Hassabis a great thinker and a polymath someone who has been working in scientific discovery and foundational research for a long time and has a unique combination of intelligence and warmth. The kind of respect Suleyman has for his contemporaries in the AI industry however is just one side of what will likely become of an ecosystem that is rapidly growing and starting to divide in the same way that previous tech bubbles have before them. Suleyman even as he has left DeepMind for a new role at Microsoft is likely to keep working and being involved with a number of influential figures in AI and that includes both Altman and Musk. For Suleyman it is clear that a healthy competition that does not compromise collaboration is the way to move forward in building the technology of the future. The Future of AI Leadership The AI industry is at a crossroads and Suleyman’s interview with Bloomberg gives a glimpse of where it may be going. With diverging development strategies from the building of data centers to infrastructure investments to research-heavy projects to large cross-industry ones each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages Suleyman’s insight is of value to many people in the tech industry as it shows what it is like to be an executive and a leader in one of the most vital and exciting sectors of the modern age.