When a Dinner Ruined Zuckerberg's Grand Plan

Google has a dedicated division focused on internally developing artificial intelligence (AI) technology, known as DeepMind. This unit was originally a British startup before being acquired by Google in 2014. Interestingly, before that deal, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly showed interest in buying DeepMind. Acquisition talks even took place but ultimately fell through following a pivotal dinner moment. This story was revealed by one of DeepMind’s founders, Demis Hassabis, who now serves as CEO of Google DeepMind. Initially, Google made the first offer to DeepMind. Larry Page, one of Google’s founders, reportedly initiated acquisition discussions as early as 2013. However, Hassabis and other DeepMind co-founders, including Mustafa Suleyman, did not immediately warm to the proposal. They considered partnering with other companies that seemed more suitable and could offer better terms. At the same time, Facebook—now Meta—emerged as another interested party. AI development competition was already brewing then, though not as intense as today. Zuckerberg reportedly recognised that his rivals were moving in the AI space, so he sought to catch up by directly approaching AI researchers, including Mustafa Suleyman. This led Suleyman to California to meet Amin Zoufonoun, then Head of Corporate Development at Facebook. Their meeting occurred at Zoufonoun’s home. In the discussions, Facebook offered a lower valuation for DeepMind’s shares. However, in exchange, the founders and team were promised large bonuses that could potentially yield greater profits than accepting Google’s offer. This tempted Suleyman. Nevertheless, he grew concerned because issues of AI governance and safety were deemed not to receive serious attention in the talks.