Redmond, Washington – The head of Microsoft’s Bing search engine and ad business will be stepping down from his role, as reported on Monday by Bloomberg News. Mikhail Parakhin’s departure comes shortly after Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of DeepMind, took over as the head of Microsoft’s consumer artificial intelligence efforts.
Parakhin, who previously served as the chief executive for advertising and web services, will now report to Chief Technology Officer Kevin Scott while exploring new opportunities within the company. It remains uncertain whether Parakhin will remain with Microsoft in a different capacity or if he will be leaving the company altogether.
Microsoft also recently welcomed Suleyman to lead its AI projects, following his tenure at Inflection where he developed the emotionally-driven Pi chatbot. The tech giant’s move reflects CEO Satya Nadella’s focus on advancing AI initiatives, as the company continues to integrate AI into various products like Windows, Office, and Bing.
While Microsoft has made significant investments in AI, including a $13 billion commitment to OpenAI, the company still faces stiff competition from Google in the search space. Despite progress in developing digital assistants under its Copilot brand, Microsoft’s AI endeavors are still a work in progress, according to reports.
In the broader landscape of artificial intelligence, discussions around potential collaborations between tech giants like Apple and Google have been underway. Such partnerships could lead to innovations like integrating Google’s Gemini AI engine into Apple’s iPhone, tapping into each company’s strengths and customer base to drive AI-powered solutions.
As the AI race continues to evolve, companies like Microsoft are positioning themselves to capitalize on the future of artificial intelligence. By investing in strategic partnerships and developing innovative AI technologies, these tech giants are shaping the trajectory of AI development and its applications in various industries.