Microsoft co-founder and once the richest man in the world, Bill Gates has shared an interesting take on the rise of AI-driven startups, admitting that if he is given a chance he would restart Microsoft as an AI firm to rival OpenAI and Google. Gates believes that any AI startup can raise Billions of dollars today just because they are active in the field.
“Today, somebody could raise billions of dollars for a new AI company [that’s just] a few sketch ideas,” Gates told CNBC in a recent interview. The billionaire had left Microsoft a few years ago and since then has focused heavily on philanthropy. However, he is still involved with Microsoft’s internal affairs.
And, while Microsoft is one of the biggest investors in OpenAI, he said unlike the current startups he would attempt to identify a niche where AI could be useful. Gates seemed confident that it would present the company with an infinite growth opportunity with little competition.
“To really stand out “as a small company, you have to pick something you’re going to do uniquely,” he said. Clearly, the Microsoft co-founder believes that there is still a place for an AI company that can rival OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and other emerging AI startups.
However, Gates was also honest to admit that it’d be impossible for his make-believe startup to scale Microsoft’s success in the category. He said that the latter achieved that kind of success because of his blatant push to get PCs to every home and the ability to get engineers to build software that supports them.
“Just believing in AI, that’s not very unique. So I would have to develop some unique view of how you design AI systems — something that other people didn’t get,” the billionaire added.
The billionaire further went on to add that it’s difficult to identify a clear path to success in the AI industry. Instead, his 20-year-old brain might be able to identify something stupid in the way other companies approach AI.