Microsoft invested $1 billion in OpenAI in 2019 due to concerns about being behind Google in AI; internal email discussions revealed the need to catch up in machine learning scale.
Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott expressed worry after realizing the capability gaps between Google and Microsoft in AI model training, highlighting the need for investment in OpenAI.
Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO, supported the investment in OpenAI after recognizing the importance of catching up with Google in AI, forwarding the email discussion to Microsoft CFO Amy Hood.