Ex-Google Indian-origin AI engineer Amar Subramanya shares his first week experience after joining Microsoft: ‘I’m already feeling…’

Former Google AI engineer Amar Subramanya has shared his experience after joining Microsoft last week. In a recent post shared on professional networking site LinkedIn, he stated that he’s “already feeling” the impact of the company’s culture. His hiring was a part of Microsoft’s broader effort to acquire top AI talent. Subramanya, who spent 16 years at Google and was a technical lead on its Gemini chatbot project at DeepMind, has taken on the role of Corporate Vice President of AI at Microsoft. His hire is among more than 24 AI specialists Microsoft has reportedly brought in from Google’s DeepMind team, indicating the company’s focus on building its AI capabilities.In the LinkedIn post, Subramanya praised Microsoft’s culture as “low ego and ambitious,” describing it as collaborative and fast-paced. He noted its focus on developing advanced foundation models for AI tools, such as Microsoft Copilot. During his first week, Subramanya had conversations with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, highlighting the accessibility of the company’s leadership.

What Amar Subramanya said about his first week experience at Microsoft

In the LinkedIn post, Subramanya wrote: “Super excited to share that I’ve started a new position as Corporate VP, AI at Microsoft AI.Just one week into my new role, I’m already feeling deeply energised. The culture here is refreshingly low ego yet bursting with ambition. It reminds me of the best parts of a startup: fast-moving, collaborative, and deeply focused on building truly innovative, state-of-the-art foundation models to drive delightful AI-powered products such as Microsoft Copilot. In conversations with Mustafa Suleyman and Satya Nadella, their shared commitment to reimagining how people interact with these technologies every day is nothing short of inspiring. Looking forward to sharing more about our progress in the coming months.”Apart from Subramanya, several other senior DeepMind team members, including engineering lead Sonal Gupta, software engineer Adam Sadovsky, and product manager Tim Frank, were also reportedly recruited as part of Microsoft’s recent hiring efforts, according to sources familiar with the matter.This hiring push has added to the already competitive landscape for experienced AI professionals, with companies offering unusually high compensation packages.OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently mentioned that Meta has offered some of his employees $100 million signing bonuses, calling the tactic “mercenary.”