Latest news with #SatyaNadella
India Today
6 hours ago
- Business
- India Today
Will AI take your job: Here is what big AI companies from Google, Microsoft to Anthropic are saying
The lure of AI like the lure of the sirens at sea in Greek mythology, knows no bounds. From afar, it is all fun and games – it almost feels magical – before someone gets hurt. That got dark FAST, didn't it? But there is good reason – and ample evidence that is piling up – why you must worry, if not downright fear, about the rise and rise of artificial intelligence around you. Not unless you lead a very carefree life where your needs are met without having to go through all the callous grind the corporate world throws at you to survive – and thrive – each day, every day, you are – and let me put this as delicately as possible – for all intents and purposes, wasn't always this bad. Remember the days when AI meant editing a photo or, at the very max, taking notes and having AI automatically summarise it for you in quick bullet points? It doesn't feel like yesterday because this was all literally, just yesterday. Today, AI is making cool videos and writing code, so on and so problem is not so much about what it is doing – some might say, they want it to do even more, which is okay – but, at what cost? There is, of course, the environment angle as these things are a major resource hog [already, people are starting to look for ways to unload some of this AI waste into space] but an equally important question is – if AI will do everything, what will we do?advertisement People and companies doing AI on a large scale who are after making AGI (short for artificial general intelligence) and world models for some godforsaken reason, say in the same breath – all modestly be damned – that the same AI is (probably) coming after your jobs. Watch out and buckle up meaning that those in the line of fire have two options – get better than AI or look recently laid off 6,000 employees, that is about 3 percent of its global headcount. When probed, it was found that a significant portion (over 40 per cent) of some 2,000 employees who were given the dreaded pink slip at its own HQ in Washington, were software engineers. It would have gone unnoticed if CEO Satya Nadella hadn't gone on record to boast how Microsoft was internally using AI to write up to 30 percent of the company's code just days before the mass layoffs were reported. Microsoft co-founder, the illustrious Bill Gates has, time and time again, urged students to learn to code regardless of their area of is often the case, social media is full of former Microsoft employees narrating their story of many usual and some unusual firings. In one of the cases, Microsoft allegedly let AI pick and fire a 25-year-old veteran, without any rhyme or reason. In yet another incident, a team of 400 engineers was asked to use AI to generate 50 percent of the code by their manager (one upping Nadella's claim), only to be fired weeks least one high-profile Microsoft executive thinks that coding is not dead despite all the outward appearances. Aparna Chennapragada, the company's chief product officer of experience and devices, said in fact, it was the opposite of dead, that learning to code was now more valuable than ever. 'A lot of folks think about, 'Oh, don't bother studying computer science or coding is dead,' and I just fundamentally disagree,' she reiterated. Though, she did acknowledge that soon, we might see a fundamental shift in how we code. 'There'll be an order of magnitude more software operators [and presumably fewer software engineers in the conventional sense],' she predicted, adding, 'but that doesn't mean you don't understand computer science. It's a way of thinking, and it's a mental model. So, I strongly disagree with the whole, 'Coding is dead.'' In other words, if you're a software engineer today or aspiring to be one tomorrow, you must brace yourself – and prepare to – become smarter than AI. Anything less and you might struggle to make ends engineering is widely considered as one of the most lucrative professions. For many in India, it is a ticket for the outside world, especially the Silicon Valley in the US, which is home to Google and some of the other companies, collectively known as the 'Big Tech.'At Google, the situation is no different. CEO Sundar Pichai has said that AI is now writing over 25 percent of the company's code, while its chief economist Fabien Curto Millet openly said that AI was boosting productivity. Google and Co. have been choosing their words carefully on the matter, always putting in disclaimers aimed at pacifying people that while AI will bring some job cuts, it will also create many new ones. So far, layoffs at Google have mostly had to do with streamlining and improving efficiency to make way for bigger investments in AI and data centres. Around 200 employees in the global business unit were recently laid off, while in April, Google let go hundreds from its platforms and device might say the final salvo was delivered at I/O 2025, where it laid out both its vision and a bevy of commercial products to make AI more accessible. Chief amongst them was Veo 3, the next generation version of its AI video generator, capable enough to confuse the smartest person in the room into believing its videos were not made by humans. In the middle of all this, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis came out and dropped the bomb, saying AI will disrupt [most] jobs in five years, urging teenagers to start preparing not just academically – which will still be crucial – but from the point of view of sharpening meta-skills like creativity, adaptability, and resilience, those that set humans apart from machines.'Over the next 5 to 10 years, I think we're going to find what normally happens with big new technology shifts, which is that some jobs get disrupted. But new, more valuable, usually more interesting jobs get created,' Hassabis said, adding that 'developing the mindset to navigate constant change,' was equally change will become a necessity when AI becomes human-like, which is what everybody seems to be working towards. There might be different versions of it depending on who gets their first, but it is safe to assume that there will be multiple versions of 'personalities', because if the goal is to make it as human as possible, isn't it plausible for it to have different tastes and opinions? The cynic in me says, 'Let's hope it never comes to that,' while a part of me that still gets a rush out of crazy, over-the-top sci-fi movies, goes like, 'Terminator! Let's do this.'advertisementPioneers in the field believe we are not quite there yet. According to Meta AI chief scientist Yann LeCun, one of the three 'godfathers of AI', 'Understanding the physical world, having persistent memory, being able to reason, and being able to plan, and planning complex actions, particularly planning hierarchically,' are the four key human traits that AI models, especially large language models (LLMs), don't have yet. Scientists have been trying to put these traits in them to achieve what is called general-purpose AI, but apparently, there is no shortcut to human and animal intelligence. But they are working with LeCun himself, advocating the idea of world-based models that could give AI the hierarchical understanding it needs to make sense of the physical world the meantime, AI will continue to disrupt through new-found capabilities like helping a single person to set up a billion-dollar company from scratch or wiping out up to 50 percent of entry-level white-collar jobs within the next five years, potentially causing unemployment to spike to 10-20 percent, according to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. You can expect cuts across technology, finance, law, and consulting – at the very In
India.com
6 hours ago
- Business
- India.com
Microsoft sacks 6000 workers; CEO Satya Nadella explains reason, says...
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the layoffs were not about job performance. (File) Microsoft Layoffs: Microsoft recently cut nearly 3 percent of its global workforce, sacking nearly 6,000 employees worldwide, and now the tech giant's CEO Satya Nadella has come forward to explain the reasons behind the latest round of Microsoft layoffs. Addressing a company-wide townhall, Nadella asserted that the layoffs were driven by an internal reorganisation by the company, not employee performance. Job cuts about AI push, not performance 'This was about reorganisation rather than performance,' the CEO told Microsoft employees, while stating that the tech titan is working on realigning its priorities to focus more heavily on artificial intelligence (AI), where it believes the future lies. Speaking at the company town hall meet, Microsoft Chief Product Officer (CPO) Aparna Chennapragada said she disagrees with the notion that studying coding or computer science is becoming obsolete with the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI). 'I fundamentally disagree with the notion that people should not study computer science or that coding is dead,' she stated. Notably, Microsoft is reportedly planning to invest a staggering $80 billion in 2025 to develop more AI infrastructure, aimed at expanding the company's AI capabilities and rolling out its Copilot AI assistants across various platforms and services. However, this shift in priorities is threatening various roles within the company, especially in product development and engineering, which are being restructured or gradually phased out. Microsoft layoffs Earlier this month, reports emerged that Microsoft, the world's most valuable company with a market cap of $3.41 trillion, had laid off about 6,000 workers globally, which is nearly 3% of its global workforce. The latest round of Microsoft layoffs is the company's largest after it sacked more than 10,000 workers last year. However, while the earlier jobs cuts were driven by employee performance, the latest layoffs are a result of Microsoft's shifting focus towards AI, which involves cutting jobs in several areas which have become redundant with the rise of AI automation, especially in coding and program maintenance.
Mint
7 hours ago
- Business
- Mint
Microsoft layoffs: What CEO Satya Nadella told employees in town hall on layoffs that left 6,000 jobless
Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella has spoken out for the first time following the company's recent decision to cut approximately 6,000 jobs — about three per cent of its global workforce — emphasising that the move was part of a broader internal restructuring and not a reflection of employee performance. Addressing staff during a companywide town hall meeting, Nadella said the layoffs were necessary to realign teams in accordance with Microsoft's evolving priorities, particularly its growing focus on artificial intelligence. He acknowledged the emotional toll of the decision but underscored that it was driven by strategic shifts, not shortcomings in productivity or talent. You may be interested in The job cuts have disproportionately affected engineering roles — a notable development given the traditional perception of these positions as secure. The move highlights a shift in the tech industry, where even product development teams are being reshaped amid the accelerating integration of AI technologies. During the same internal event, executives highlighted Microsoft's significant momentum in selling AI tools to enterprise customers. Chief Commercial Officer Judson Althoff revealed that British banking giant Barclays has committed to purchasing 100,000 licences for Microsoft Copilot — the company's flagship AI assistant. Althoff also noted that several major global firms, including Accenture, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Siemens, now each have over 100,000 users of Copilot within their organisations. Nadella stressed the importance of tracking how deeply Copilot is embedded across client operations, with Microsoft paying close attention to the proportion of users actively engaging with the tool. At a list price of $30 per user per month, the scale of these contracts suggests annual revenues in the tens of millions of dollars — although actual figures are likely reduced by bulk pricing agreements. The developments reflect Microsoft's pivot toward enterprise AI as a key growth area, even as the company trims its workforce to maintain efficiency and focus.
Mint
9 hours ago
- Business
- Mint
Microsoft layoffs: What CEO Satya Nadella told employees in town hall
Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella has spoken out for the first time following the company's recent decision to cut approximately 6,000 jobs — about three per cent of its global workforce — emphasising that the move was part of a broader internal restructuring and not a reflection of employee performance. Addressing staff during a companywide town hall meeting, Nadella said the layoffs were necessary to realign teams in accordance with Microsoft's evolving priorities, particularly its growing focus on artificial intelligence. He acknowledged the emotional toll of the decision but underscored that it was driven by strategic shifts, not shortcomings in productivity or talent. You may be interested in The job cuts have disproportionately affected engineering roles — a notable development given the traditional perception of these positions as secure. The move highlights a shift in the tech industry, where even product development teams are being reshaped amid the accelerating integration of AI technologies. During the same internal event, executives highlighted Microsoft's significant momentum in selling AI tools to enterprise customers. Chief Commercial Officer Judson Althoff revealed that British banking giant Barclays has committed to purchasing 100,000 licences for Microsoft Copilot — the company's flagship AI assistant. Althoff also noted that several major global firms, including Accenture, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Siemens, now each have over 100,000 users of Copilot within their organisations. Nadella stressed the importance of tracking how deeply Copilot is embedded across client operations, with Microsoft paying close attention to the proportion of users actively engaging with the tool. At a list price of $30 per user per month, the scale of these contracts suggests annual revenues in the tens of millions of dollars — although actual figures are likely reduced by bulk pricing agreements. The developments reflect Microsoft's pivot toward enterprise AI as a key growth area, even as the company trims its workforce to maintain efficiency and focus. (With inputs from Bloomberg)
Indian Express
11 hours ago
- Business
- Indian Express
The MANGO paradox: Why India has been unable to harvest the fruits of the AI revolution
India finds itself in an ironic predicament. The country that produces over 20 million tonnes of mangoes annually — nearly half the world's supply — has failed to cultivate its own MANGO ecosystem. Not the sweet, succulent fruit that graces our summer tables, but the tech titans that rule the artificial intelligence landscape: Meta, Anthropic, Nvidia, Google, and OpenAI. This is particularly puzzling given India's extraordinary contribution to these very companies. Indian engineers occupy critical development roles across all MANGO organisations. Sundar Pichai leads Google, Satya Nadella helms Microsoft (a key OpenAI partner), and countless Indian engineers power the innovation engines of Meta, Nvidia, and Anthropic. According to recent research, 65 per cent of leading US AI companies have at least one leader of Indian origin, while 70 per cent of full-time graduate students in AI-related fields are international — with Indians forming a substantial portion. Yet, despite this talent goldmine and the ambitious India Techade initiative promising to make technology 20 per cent of the country's GDP by 2025–26, India remains conspicuously absent from the global AI leadership table. The numbers paint a stark picture. While Meta and Microsoft train their models on supercomputers containing over 10,000 GPUs, India's fastest supercomputer, AIRAWAT, has merely 656 GPUs — ranking a humbling 75th globally. The government's recent announcement of establishing over 18,000 GPUs under the IndiaAI Mission sounds impressive until one realises OpenAI alone uses more than 100,000 GPUs for model training. The computing capacity gap is staggering. Former IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar claimed India needs about 24,500 high-performance GPUs to meet current demand. With AI operations scaling exponentially, even the planned 25,000-GPU cluster — if realised — would represent just a fraction of what leading AI companies deploy. Export restrictions add another layer of complexity. While US-based tech giants can easily obtain National Verified End User licences to deploy GPUs at scale, Indian companies — even conglomerates like Reliance or Adani — face significant hurdles. This hardware accessibility challenge directly impacts India's ability to train competitive AI models from scratch. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect is the brain drain. India's AI skill penetration rate of 2.8 is the highest globally, meaning Indian workers are 2.8 times more skilled in AI-related competencies than the global average. Yet this talent consistently flows westward. Recent data from job portals show an 11.4 per cent increase in international job listings targeting Indian talent, accompanied by a 59.4 per cent surge in applications by Indians seeking overseas opportunities. The reasons are well documented: Better remuneration, superior research infrastructure, and more conducive innovation environments. India's struggles run deeper than infrastructure and talent retention. The country's R&D spending remains at around 0.7 per cent of GDP, compared to over 3 per cent in the US and 2.4 per cent in China. This underinvestment in research creates a vicious cycle where bright minds seek opportunities elsewhere. The focus on IT services rather than deep tech innovation has also hindered progress. While companies like TCS, Infosys, and Wipro generate substantial revenues, they primarily offer services rather than developing cutting-edge AI products. The absence of large-scale AI companies comparable to OpenAI, DeepMind, or Anthropic reflects this service-oriented mindset. Furthermore, the startup ecosystem, while growing, lacks the venture capital depth and risk appetite necessary for foundational AI research. Building a competitive language model requires not just talent but massive capital — estimates suggest between $7 and $15 million for basic foundational work, with training costs for advanced models reaching hundreds of millions. The government's India Techade initiative represents recognition of these challenges. The IndiaAI Mission, with a budget of Rs 10,372 crore (approximately £1 billion), aims to create a scalable AI computing ecosystem. Recent partnerships with companies like Nvidia — where Indian IT giants including TCS, Wipro, and Infosys are building AI agents — show promising momentum. China's DeepSeek offers an intriguing model. The company achieved competitive performance using just 2,000 Nvidia H800 GPUs compared to OpenAI's 100,000 GPUs, with training costs of $6 million versus OpenAI's $100 million. This efficiency-driven approach could provide a blueprint for Indian AI development, particularly given hardware access constraints. Perplexity AI's founder, Aravind Srinivas — an Indian-origin entrepreneur — advocates for this path: Building indigenous models from scratch rather than fine-tuning existing ones. Drawing inspiration from ISRO's frugal innovation philosophy, he believes India can create globally competitive AI through strategic investment and ingenuity. So here's the delicious irony: India, the land that perfected the art of growing mangoes — carefully selecting the right soil, climate, and cultivation techniques to produce the world's finest fruit — has somehow failed to apply the same principles to growing its MANGO ecosystem. Perhaps we've been too busy exporting our best engineers to Silicon Valley's orchards, where they help others harvest the fruits of AI innovation. Meanwhile, back home, we're still debating which seeds to plant while our competitors have already built entire groves. Maybe it's time India stopped just growing mangoes for export and started cultivating its own MANGO ecosystem. After all, who better than the land of mangoes to show the world how to grow the next generation of MANGOs? The irony would be complete when India finally builds its AI empire — and perhaps names its first unicorn AI company 'Mango' as a sweet reminder of what was always possible. The ingredients are all there: The talent, the ambition, even the government support. Now India just needs to stop letting its best seeds grow in foreign soil and start planting its own orchard. The question isn't whether India can compete in AI — it's whether it will choose to do so on its own terms, in its own backyard. Perhaps even the geopolitical noise from figures like Trump could prove a blessing in disguise — nudging India to define its AI future on its own terms. The writer, a defence and cyber security analyst, is former country head of General Dynamics
