Day: July 27, 2025

• The “Godfather of AI” said many people at tech companies publicly “downplay” the risks.
• He named one tech leader, though, who is aware of and trying to address the dangers.
• Geoffrey Hinton called many of the tech leaders “oligarchs.”

There doesn’t seem to be much godfatherly love in the AI world these days.

Geoffrey Hinton, the ex-Google employee known as the “Godfather of AI” for his work on neural networks, has been vocal about the risks of the technology. He said on a recent episode of the “One Decision” podcast that “most” people at tech companies understand the risks, but don’t act on them.

“Many of the people in big companies, I think, are downplaying the risk publicly,” Hinton said on the episode, which aired on July 24. But he mentioned one tech leader who is attuned to the potential dangers of the technology.

“Demis Hassabis, for example, really does understand about the risks, and really wants to do something about it,” he said.

Hassabis is the CEO of Google DeepMind, the company’s main AI lab. He cofounded DeepMind in 2010 and sold it to Google in 2014 for $650 million, under the caveat that the tech giant would create an AI ethics board. A Nobel Prize winner, Hassabis had for years hoped that academics and scientists would lead the AI scramble. Now, he’s at the center of Google’s push for AI dominance, and some company insiders previously told Business Insider they think he might be in the running for CEO.

In February, Hassabis said that AI poses long-term risks and warned that agentic systems could get “out of control.” He has pushed for having an international governing body to regulate the technology. Late last month, protesters demonstrated outside DeepMind’s London office to demand more AI transparency.

Hinton spent more than a decade at Google himself before quitting to discuss the dangers of AI more openly. He said on a previous podcast episode that the company had encouraged him to stay and work on safety issues.

The so-called Godfather didn’t heap much praise on other Big Tech leaders — earlier in the podcast, he said that “the people who control AI, people like Musk and Zuckerberg, they are oligarchs.” Representatives for Musk and Zuckerberg did not respond to BI’s request for comment.

And as to the question of whether he trusts them? “I think when I called them oligarchs, you know the answer to that.”

• This post originally appeared in the BI Today newsletter.
• You can sign up for Business Insider’s daily newsletter here.

Welcome back to our Sunday edition, where we round up some of our top stories and take you inside our newsroom. Looking to invest $10,000? Here’s where you can put that cash right now, according to six Wall Street veterans.

On the agenda today:

• The drink of the summer is also a recession warning signal.
• Inside the whisper networks of laid-off former coworkers.
• Homebuyers could be the winners of America’s next big land grab.
• Here’s how much AI startups like OpenAI and Anthropic pay employees.

But first: How do they do it?

If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Download Business Insider’s app here.

This week’s dispatch

A day in the life

Ever wonder how the world’s most accomplished business leaders make it all look so effortless? How do they conquer jam-packed calendars, build empires, and still find time to fly helicopters or sip matcha in peace?

Welcome to Power Hours, a fresh Business Insider series that peels back the curtain on the daily routines of top CEOs, founders, and creative visionaries. We’re going deep on what makes these high performers tick — and how you can apply their secrets to your own life.

We’ve gone behind the scenes with leaders like Peter Beck, CEO of Rocket Lab, who starts his day before sunrise, ruthlessly cuts out unnecessary meetings, and flies a helicopter in his spare time. David Risher, CEO of Lyft, winds down with afternoon matcha and occasionally goes undercover as a driver to stay connected to his mission.

Here’s a snapshot of some of the leaders we’ve profiled.

• Anders Kurtén, head of the world’s largest yacht brokerage, starts his day with a drive from France to Monaco and a 5K or 10K run, depending on his mood.
• Allison Ellsworth, cofounder and chief brand officer of Poppi, said she thrives on chaos and candidly admits she’s never taken a formal lunch break. “I’m a creative person,” she says. “So I’m very unorganized.”
• Justin Nedelman, CEO of Pressed Juicery, begins his morning with meditation, hydration, and a sweat session—long before most of us are even awake.
• And just the other day, we caught up with billionaire Mark Cuban. At first, he told us his daily routine was “boring.” But then he dropped a productivity gem that’s surprisingly practical and one that everyone can use.

Each Power Hours profile delivers a dose of inspiration — and a toolkit of takeaways — for readers to better understand how the pros do it all.

So, what are your Power Hours? Let us know, we’d love to hear from you!

Warning at the bar

For years, the Spaghett — a mix of cheap beer and Aperol — was known almost exclusively by service industry workers. Now, it’s making its way into the spotlight.

The Spaghett’s rise is also a sign that the economy is on the edge of disaster. It’s a lot cheaper than other cocktails and easy to make at home — a standout choice for when you feel pressure on your wallet.

No frills, great flavor.

All in this together

The silver lining of mass layoffs is that no one has to go through it alone. From former Big Tech workers to laid-off federal employees, old coworkers are banding together on networks like Slack and Signal.

In their private channels, laid-off workers offer each other more than just emotional support. They’re helping each other navigate the confusing administrative tasks that come with being fired, sharing job postings, and engaging in mock interviews.

Experts say it reflects a surge in worker resistance.

America’s next big land grab

Secretive investors are betting big on the next homebuilding boom. Known as “land bankers,” these investors are scooping up construction-ready real estate and waiting until builders are ready to put shovels in the ground.

The result would be a more reliable homebuilding machine and even cheaper homes. That’s great news for homebuyers in the near future.

A new breed of land barons.

AI startup salaries, revealed

Big Tech companies and startups are racing to dominate the next frontier of AI, and they’re shelling out top dollar to the limited pool of tech talent who will join them.

BI pulled federal filings from some of the top AI startups valued at over $2 billion. Companies like OpenAI are dangling mid-six-figure salaries amid the war for talent.

What 13 startups are paying.

Also read:

• Amazon salaries revealed: How much the cloud and retail giant pays
• What Microsoft pays software engineers, product managers, and more
• See how much Google pays key roles amid the AI boom

This week’s quote:

“People won’t remember in 10 years why they don’t like Nike anymore, but they will still think slightly ill of it.”

— A guy who runs a website called Shop Canadian Stuff, following a wave of the “Buy Canadian” movement in response to Trump’s tariffs.

More of this week’s top reads:

• Windsurf was a startup Cinderella story. Now it’s become a cautionary tale.
• Sydney Sweeney is a meme stock icon now.
• Companies love trapping people in subscriptions. Savvy consumers are fighting back.
• Jerome Powell isn’t flinching from Trump. Leaders should take note.
• West Point emails reveal how the prestigious military academy messed up Pete Hegseth’s admissions status.
• Read Microsoft CEO’s memo to staff explaining why the tech giant is laying off workers while making huge profits.
• Microsoft staffers react to the layoffs memo with suspicion, anger, and speculation.
• Internal xAI documents show how hundreds of AI tutors spent hours recording facial expressions to train Grok.

• “A long, slow bleed”: Quant hedge funds are getting slammed and scrambling for answers.

  ---

  The BI Today team: Steve Russolillo, chief news editor, in New York. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Grace Lett, editor, in Chicago. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York.

• Rasheda Williams’ paternal grandmother was always very private.
• When she died, her grandmother revealed her extended family and left most of her money to Williams.
• The $85,000 from inheritance and life insurance allowed Williams to take two years off work.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Rasheda Williams, founder of Empowered Flower Girl. It has been edited for length and clarity.

It’s hard to describe my relationship with my grandmother, Marguerite. You might say it was interesting. Marguerite was my dad’s mother. After my parents divorced, my dad moved to another state, but Marguerite always came to events like graduation and birthdays. In that way, we were close.

But our relationship felt very surface-level. She showed up for my milestones, but I never really knew her. She was very private and kept me at a distance. I took her to a doctor’s appointment once and asked a few questions. She shot me a look that said, “Mind your own business.” That was how she was — always keeping people at arm’s length.

My dad died before his mother, so as Marguerite got older, I was her only living relative — or so I thought. When she was in her late 70s, I began to notice her house was in disarray, and she was struggling with hoarding. I encouraged her to move, but she refused. She was very stubborn.

My grandma left me a note and all her important documents

In 2015, when I was 34, I wasn’t able to get a hold of Marguerite. I called the police to do a wellness check, and they found that she had died at home. The situation was a bit mysterious: She had written me a note referring to “the key to everything.” A folder with her bank and insurance information was nearby. I assumed that was the key she was referring to.

When I opened that folder, I saw Marguerite had about $55,000 in the bank. I was stunned. I couldn’t believe my grandma had that much money while living the way she was.

Marguerite’s official cause of death was a heart attack. I’ll never know if the note was there because she had a premonition that she was going to die. No matter what, I believe it was divine timing for both of us.

I quit my job and lived off my inheritance for two years

Between the money in Marguerite’s accounts and life insurance policies, I received an inheritance of about $85,000. At the time, I was making about $53,000 a year working in communications for a university, so this was a lot of money for me.

I knew immediately I wanted to leave my job. I wasn’t fulfilled at work. I had a side project, Empowered Flower Girl, that addresses bullying in young people. That was my life’s work, but it was always on the back burner because of my job.

It took a year for Marguerite’s estate to move through probate court. During that year, I made a strategic plan for my life. It wasn’t too different from the marketing plans I was used to making at work. I would quit my day job and write a book for Empowered Flower Girl—something I’d been putting off for years.

Once I received the money, I put about $15,000 into emergency savings. I used the remaining $70,000 to live off of for the next two years. Although that wasn’t a ton of money, I was still able to treat myself to some things, including a trip to the Caribbean.

I wrote my book, began speaking professionally, and advanced Empowered Flower Girl. After two years, I started picking up freelance work. I felt my career was much more aligned with my purpose. I was living for a living, and no longer dreading going to work.

I later learned about a family I didn’t know existed

It turns out, however, that the biggest catalyst for change after Marguerite’s death wasn’t the money she left me: It was the realization of a family secret.

When I went through her papers, I learned about my grandmother’s stepdaughter, whom I never knew existed. I also learned that Marguerite had cousins and extended family I had never known.

Finding that family helped me feel whole. I fostered relationships with them and deepened relationships with my friends. Marguerite’s death was a wake-up call for me.

Although she was in her 80s when she died, her death reinforced to me that life is short. I want to spend my time with the people and projects that are most important to me. Thanks to my grandmother, I am able to do that.