A Decade of AI Acquisition: The Story of DeepMind
- Google acquired the AI lab DeepMind nearly ten years ago for upwards of $500 million.
- Prior to this deal, Facebook had expressed interest in acquiring the innovative startup.
- Zuckerberg revealed his desire to purchase DeepMind during that pivotal time.
The Strategic Moves Behind an Acquisition
In a recent discussion, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged the tactics employed by Demis Hassabis, CEO of DeepMind, when negotiating with Google in 2014. At that time, Google secured the AI lab for over half a billion dollars.
DeepMind started as a relatively obscure artificial intelligence startup located in London and was co-founded by Hassabis along with Shane Legg and Mustafa Suleyman. Its reputation dramatically changed when it came into play during the growing race for advancements in artificial intelligence.
By late 2013, Facebook was deeply engaged in discussions to potentially acquire this innovative enterprise; however, those negotiations ultimately did not materialize as reported back then by The Information. Google’s acquisition followed swiftly after these talks collapsed—leading them to finalize their purchase in early 2014.
Interestingly enough, details surrounding why discussions between Facebook and DeepMind fell apart remain sparse even today. Nevertheless, during an interview hosted by South Park Commons—a tech community based out of San Francisco—Zuckerberg seemed to imply that he respected how Hassabis negotiated effectively between Facebook and Google.
“I definitely aimed to acquire DeepMind,” reflected Zuckerberg. “But they ended up with Google instead. I must say that Demis played his cards right; he successfully leveraged our interest against Google’s offer to secure an advantageous price—a move I commend.”
Further insight into developments post-acquisition reveals that since joining forces with Google, DeepMind has directed its efforts toward achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)—a level where machines can perform cognitive functions on par with human reasoning.
Meta’s Response: Building Its Own Foundations
Instead of bringing DeepMind under its umbrella, Facebook established its own research initiative known as Facebook AI Research (FAIR). In reflecting on this strategy choice during his recent conversation at South Park Commons event space in San Francisco earlier this year—the Meta head emphasized how FAIR adopted an open-source framework within its approach toward artificial intelligence development.
Last year saw unveiling aid Llama model from Meta which was presented as open source technology allowing developers across various fields access for customization tailored towards specific applications. Nonetheless—as criticism arose regarding whether or not Llama truly qualifies as open-source software—this suggests complexities surrounding claims made about products circulating within public domains requiring deeper examination within tech communities exploring such classifications further robustly moving forward.
