Seeing so many prominent scientists leave Google DeepMind leaves me with mixed feelings.
Sad, because it's a bitter blow for Google DeepMind. Happy, because it's the beginning of something new and significant.
Many are harshly criticizing Google and are worried that it will fall completely behind. However, it's important to remember that Google still has a very strong starting position and a very good standing. They have their own chips for both training and inference, the TPUs, a very solid financial foundation with strong revenue streams, and a large scientific community.
Thirteen years ago, a quick email exchange with @JeffDean brought me to @Google. After an unforgettable journey from Brain, to DeepMind, and to @GoogleDeepMind,...