Microsoft invested in OpenAI over fears of falling behind Google

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-01/microsoft-concern-about-google-s-lead-drove-investment-in-openai

Microsoft Corp.’s motivation for investing heavily and partnering with OpenAI came from a sense of falling badly behind Google, according to an internal email released Tuesday as part of the Justice Department’s antitrust case against the search giant.

The Windows software maker’s chief technology officer, Kevin Scott, was “very, very worried” when he looked at the AI model-training capability gap between Alphabet Inc.’s efforts and Microsoft’s, he wrote in a 2019 message to Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella and co-founder Bill Gates. The exchange shows how the company’s top executives privately acknowledged they lacked the infrastructure and development speed to catch up to the likes of OpenAI and Google’s DeepMind.

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"title": "Microsoft invested in OpenAI over fears of falling behind Google",
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"date": "2024-05-01T05:39:02.802Z",
"description": "Microsoft Corp.’s motivation for investing heavily and partnering with OpenAI came from a sense of falling badly behind Google, according to an internal email released Tuesday as part of the Justice Department’s antitrust case against the search giant.",
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"title": "Microsoft Concern About Google’s Lead Drove Investment in OpenAI",
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{
"url": "https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-01/microsoft-concern-about-google-s-lead-drove-investment-in-openai",
"title": "Microsoft Concern About Google’s Lead Drove Investment in OpenAI",
"description": "Microsoft Corp.’s motivation for investing heavily and partnering with OpenAI came from a sense of falling badly behind Google, according to an internal email released Tuesday as part of the Justice Department’s antitrust case against the search giant.",
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"content": "<div><p><a href=\"https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/MSFT:US\" target=\"_blank\">Microsoft Corp.</a>’s motivation for investing heavily and partnering with OpenAI came from a sense of falling badly behind Google, according to an internal email <a href=\"https://assets.bwbx.io/documents/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/r22rfPap2wyQ/v0\" title=\"Click to view webpage.\" target=\"_blank\">released</a> Tuesday as part of the Justice Department’s antitrust case against the search giant.</p><p>The Windows software maker’s chief technology officer, Kevin Scott, was “very, very worried” when he looked at the AI model-training capability gap between <a href=\"https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/GOOGL:US\" target=\"_blank\">Alphabet Inc.</a>’s efforts and Microsoft’s, he wrote in a 2019 message to Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella and co-founder Bill Gates. The exchange shows how the company’s top executives privately acknowledged they lacked the infrastructure and development speed to catch up to the likes of OpenAI and Google’s DeepMind.</p></div>",
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