Google’s AI architect lived rent-free in Elon Musk’s head
Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, has been a persistent source of concern for Elon Musk and OpenAI leadership since the early days of the company. Court testimony reveals Musk was deeply fixated on Hassabis, questioning his intentions and fearing Google's AI capabilities. This perceived threat influenced OpenAI's strategic direction and internal discussions about competition in the AI space.
- ▪Demis Hassabis founded DeepMind in 2010 and sold it to Google in 2014 for between $400-650 million.
- ▪Elon Musk repeatedly expressed concern about Hassabis, asking if he was 'evil' and calling him a major competitive threat.
- ▪Musk compared Google's AI efforts under Hassabis to playing the Super Bowl while OpenAI was playing the Puppy Bowl.
- ▪Greg Brockman testified that Musk mentioned Hassabis 'many, many times' during OpenAI's early years.
- ▪Hassabis warned Musk and OpenAI co-founders that open-sourcing AI was 'very dangerous' and not a solution to AI safety.
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AICloseAIPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All AIPolicyClosePolicyPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All PolicyTechCloseTechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TechGoogle’s AI architect lived rent-free in Elon Musk’s headDeepMind’s Demis Hassabis was a constant figure of fear among Musk and other OpenAI higher-ups.by Hayden FieldCloseHayden FieldSenior AI ReporterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Hayden FieldMay 5, 2026, 1:11 PM UTCLinkShareGift Photo by Dan Kitwood / Getty ImagesAICloseAIPosts from this topic…
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