When Amazon hired the founder of an AI startup last year, it was one of the first instances that became known as Reverse Aquihea. This is a deal in which large companies hire major startup team members and license their technology rather than getting a full startup.
David Luan, co-founder and former CEO of Adept, has since become head of Amazon's new AGI lab, and Luan's recent interview with The Verge focuses on Amazon's vision for AI agents on the surface.
Luang replied, “I remember being an AI research innovator rather than an innovator in the trading structure,” but from his point of view it is “completely reasonable” for companies like Amazon to “collect the critical masses both on talent and calculate now.”
Regarding why he was willing to leave the startup on Amazon, Luan said he was not interested in turning Adept into a “company company that sells only small models” because he wanted to solve “four important remaining research questions left at AGI.”
“All of them would need a double-digit billion dollar cluster to do that,” he said. “How about me? […] Do you have the opportunity to do that? ”