Why Google’s AI CEO said no to Zuckerberg and yes to Larry Page despite more money
Before OpenAI or Anthropic existed, Google and Facebook fought over a small London AI startup called DeepMind. Its CEO Demis Hassabis turned down Mark Zuckerberg’s richer offer and sold to Larry Page’s Google for $650 million in 2014. A new book by Sebastian Mallaby reveals how a Palo Alto dinner, a poker-style bluff, and AI safety concerns decided everything.
