’Please don’t reach out to me’: Microsoft VP’s cold message for Google DeepMind employees

Nando de Freitas, Vice President at Microsoft AI, has publicly criticised Google DeepMind over its employee contracts, claiming that staff members from the company frequently seek advice on how to escape restrictive notice periods and non-compete clauses.

In a post on X, de Freitas congratulated DeepMind on its recent model advancements but highlighted what he described as a troubling workplace culture. He alleged that DeepMind employees regularly approach him in “despair” to ask for help in bypassing contractual constraints and even inquire about job opportunities at Microsoft AI.