Microsoft AI boss Suleyman calls Elon Musk a ‘bulldozer’

Mustafa Suleyman, the head of AI at Microsoft, has recently opened up about his perspectives on influential figures in the artificial intelligence sector, including Elon Musk, Demis Hassabis of Google DeepMind, and Sam Altman from OpenAI. In a candid interview with Bloomberg, Suleyman described Musk as a 'bulldozer,' emphasizing his exceptional ability to reshape realities and achieve seemingly impossible feats. Suleyman elaborated on his description, highlighting Musk's unique capacity to manipulate circumstances to his advantage, saying, "He’s kind of got superhuman capabilities to bend reality to his will. He has an incredible track record and generally manages to accomplish what seems unachievable, albeit with a distinct set of values." The Microsoft executive expressed admiration for Musk's straightforwardness, remarking, "I kind of like that he speaks his mind. He’s very unfiltered." When discussing the importance of regulation in the AI domain, Suleyman stated that government oversight is crucial for societal benefit, a view that he acknowledges might be contentious in Silicon Valley. He believes that regulation has historically improved technologies. Suleyman also praised Sam Altman, asserting that he could emerge as one of the foremost entrepreneurs of this generation. Noting Altman's aggressive expansion of data centers, he remarked, "He may well turn out to be one of the great entrepreneurs of our generation. If he can pull off his ambitious plans, it will be quite remarkable." Having co-founded DeepMind alongside Demis Hassabis, Suleyman reminisced about their close friendship and ongoing communication, even congratulating Hassabis on the recent launches of Gemini 3 and Nano Banana Pro models. He described Hassabis as a brilliant scientist and thinker, acknowledging the significant contributions he has made to the field of AI. Suleyman reflected on their decade-long collaboration, stating, "I learned a lot from him and have huge respect for him."