Indian-origin Amar Subramanya leaves Google after 16 years, finds Microsoft culture 'refreshingly low ego'
The remark about Microsoft's "refreshingly low ego" work environment drew attention online, with some observers interpreting it as a subtle jab at Google.
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Amar Subramanya, an Indian-origin AI research scientist and former Head of Engineering for Google's Gemini chatbot, has joined Microsoft as Corporate Vice President of AI. The move comes after a 16-year tenure at Google and is seen as a major win for Microsoft as it doubles down on its AI ambitions.
In a candid post announcing the move, Subramanya wrote, "Super excited to share that I’ve started a new position as Corporate VP, AI at Microsoft AI.” He added, “Just one week into my new role, I’m already feeling deeply energized. The culture here is refreshingly low ego yet bursting with ambition.”
The remark about Microsoft's "refreshingly low ego" work environment drew attention online, with some observers interpreting it as a subtle jab at Google.
One X user, Karthik, questioned whether the comment was "throwing shade at Google where he was just one week ago, for 16 years?"
Subramanya praised Microsoft's startup-like energy and product-driven focus, describing his early experience at the company as "fast-moving, collaborative, and deeply focused on building truly innovative, state-of-the-art foundation models to drive delightful AI-powered products such as Microsoft Copilot."
With over two decades of experience, including his recent work on one of Google's most high-profile AI products, Subramanya's hiring underscores Microsoft's aggressive AI talent acquisition strategy.
According to the Financial Times, Subramanya is part of a wave of 24 engineers, researchers, and product specialists Microsoft has recently poached from Google.
He also cited “inspiring” conversations with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman as part of what drew him to the company.
Subramanya holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Bangalore University and is known for his work on large-scale machine learning and AI systems.
