Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman is no stranger to expressing blunt opinions on matters of technology, and his latest interview with Bloomberg is no exception. While chatting with Bloomberg, Suleyman was able to express his opinions about some of the biggest names in the current state of artificial intelligence, including OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Google DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis, and xAI founder Elon Musk. An interesting look into what some of the biggest names in AI actually think of each other is gained by reading these quotes.
Sam Altman is a “great entrepreneur”, says Suleyman
Suleyman was lavish in his praise for OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, terming him a “brave” and “ambitious” person. It is according to Suleyman that what makes Sam Altman stand out among other innovators is his ambition to create large-scale AI data centres.
“He could end up being one of the great entrepreneurs of our era,” Suleyman told me, pointing to Altman’s courage to make large-scale leaps in finance and technology. He also agreed that OpenAI’s ambitions for rapid growth, which many critics doubted, could be revolutionary if achieved.
Suleyman also emphasised that such moves are imperative in a dynamic space such as artificial intelligence, where “scale, speed, and infrastructure” are increasingly becoming the determinants of success.
Demis Hassabis: Praised as a visionary scientist
Suleyman also praises Demis Hassabis, his former business partner at DeepMind, who is currently the CEO of Google DeepMind. These individuals, despite being on opposite sides of the current AI race, are good friends who exchange messages.
Describing Hassabis as a “great thinker” and a “polymath,” Suleyman praised Hassabis for his scientific work, including achievements such as AlphaFold and more recent successes like Gemini 3 and Nano Banana. He praised Hassabis for continuing to break new ground in what is possible with AI, particularly in the area of scientific research.
Their relationship, Suleyman says, “is a reflection of the rare combination of both competition and collaboration that characterises the AI ecosystem."
Elon Musk: A 'Bulldozer' who builds his own reality
When asked about Elon Musk, Suleyman hit one of the strongest notes in the interview with the statement that Musk is a “bulldozer.” He characterised Musk as “a person with an incredible power of bending reality to his desires and accomplishing what seems impossible.”
Suleyman cited Musk’s record of success in both Tesla and SpaceX, as well as his plans with Neuralink and Boring Co. Suleyman acknowledged that Musk is both a polarising figure in public life and involved in politics, but appreciates his candidness and work ethic.
Suleyman said that Musk does things on a completely different set of principles. His statements are noteworthy in a space where executives do not often speak candidly about their peers. His comments emphasise the ambitions, competitiveness, and respect among the players, defining the landscape of artificial intelligence.
While Altman’s aggressive investment in infrastructure, Hassabis’ depth of understanding in science, or even Musk’s drive appear increasingly mere ambitions in the face of an increasingly stiff annual challenge, Suleyman believes that there is room for everyone in the AI race.
