In a recent appearance on the All-In Podcast with entrepreneur David Friedberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai took a playful swipe at Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, referencing a comment Nadella made back in 2023 during the early days of the AI chatbot competition.
The conversation, which touched on the intensifying rivalry in artificial intelligence, led Friedberg to ask Pichai about his thoughts on leading tech figures like Sam Altman (OpenAI), Elon Musk (xAI), Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), and Satya Nadella (Microsoft).
“These are all leaders of very influential AI companies. What’s your take on them, as individuals and the companies they lead?” Friedberg asked.
Pichai maintained a diplomatic stance, recognizing and appreciating the significant milestones achieved by his competitors. “You’re talking about visionary people behind some of the most powerful companies in the world. Naturally, this means the pace of innovation will only accelerate,” he said.
However, before ending his response, Pichai couldn’t resist a lighthearted dig. “Each one has a unique personality. I know all of them,” he said. Then, with a smile, he added, “I think maybe only one of them has invited me to a dance—not the others.”
The remark caught Friedberg off guard, prompting a puzzled expression. Pichai didn’t elaborate further but quickly shifted the conversation to his discussions with Elon Musk on the future of technology.
The “dance” reference traces back to Nadella’s 2023 interview with The Verge, where he commented on Microsoft’s AI-powered Bing search engine. At the time, Nadella had said, “[Google is] the 800-pound gorilla in this. I hope our innovation makes them want to show they can dance. I want people to know we made them dance.”
Though Nadella never literally invited Pichai to dance, Pichai’s humorous jab acknowledged the competitive spirit between the two tech giants.
Both executives, originally from India, now lead some of the most influential technology companies in the world—Google and Microsoft—and their friendly rivalry continues to shape the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
