Why I Left Google DeepMind

https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/iKm2FhpWkuuBojm82/why-i-left-google-deepmind

Comments

vintagedaveJul 27, 2026, 11:39 AM
Very long to read, but highly principled. I feel his desperation. Powerful people can too easily do little, and ignore their consciousness. I appreciate he named those he spoke to; it came across as fair, and makes them accountable for what they did or did not do.
negamaxJul 27, 2026, 11:39 AM
You (the org) brought fire to the masses. How that fire is used (to build or burn the cities) is not for you do decide

Stand by and share your ethics concern. But this isn't misalignment. A lot of AI use cases will be constraint/reigned in through governance evolution at every scale

tw04Jul 27, 2026, 11:58 AM
Comparing it to fire isn’t really an apt comparison.

You developed the nuclear bomb. Would you give free access to every human on the planet to do with it as they see fit? Or would you demand responsible guardrails from the start?

AI companies want it both ways. This will both redefine humanity as we know it, but also nobody should try to enforce any guardrails. Why? Because it might hurt profits.

Either it’s snake oil and not as revolutionary as claimed, or people should be facing prison time for trying to claim “I just invented it and gave everyone access, I can’t be held responsible for what happens next”.

aleph_minus_oneJul 27, 2026, 11:47 AM
fragmedeJul 27, 2026, 11:51 AM
gyanchawdharyJul 27, 2026, 11:55 AM
painfully entitled and arrogant
readthenotes1Jul 27, 2026, 11:41 AM
I am outraged to find gambling in this casino!

What sort of ethics bubble was the author living in to believe that Google was anything but solely focused on achieving shareholder value?

pjmlpJul 27, 2026, 11:47 AM
The same that believes in HR marketing like Do No Evil.
Ygg2Jul 27, 2026, 11:51 AM
Pretty sure they ditched that motto long time ago.
andriy_kovalJul 27, 2026, 11:56 AM
Still there:

And remember... don’t be evil, and if you see something that you think isn’t right – speak up!

https://abc.xyz/investor/board-and-governance/google-code-of...

pjmlpJul 27, 2026, 11:53 AM
They did, still doesn't change the kind of bubble we are talking about.
Ygg2Jul 27, 2026, 11:49 AM
I wonder if in a few years, there'll be heads of Google paraphrasing the old skit "You know, in hindsight, allowing autonomous AI drones to carry fusion bombs was a bad move, but for that one quarter we really earned a lot of shareholder value"
skew-aberrationJul 27, 2026, 12:01 PM
Not only that but his outrage is narrowly focused on contemporary US politics. Billions of people access food, shelter, medicine, education, etc, only by the rapidly diminishing leverage their labor provides (or doesn't provide) them. These people presumably never so much as picked up a book, or evenly briefly entertained a thought about a person outside their own immediate social circle.
iluvcommunismJul 27, 2026, 12:04 PM
[dead]
meta_gunslingerJul 27, 2026, 11:25 AM
[flagged]
nmatej1Jul 27, 2026, 9:57 AM
[flagged]
fuadnafiz98Jul 27, 2026, 11:39 AM
Someone send this to Tucker Carlson