OpenAI's core product lead Thibault Sottiaux didn't exactly leave Google DeepMind on friendly terms. In an interview with Wired, Sottiaux revealed the inside story of his frustrated jump to OpenAI. He says that before ChatGPT launched in late 2022 and ignited the global generative AI boom, DeepMind had already been sitting on similar large language model and conversational technology for two years. It never shipped, thanks to conservative, bureaucratic leadership. DeepMind had a two-year head start — and apparently let it rot.