Post by @bradneuberg
79% credible (84% factual, 71% presentation). The post accurately reports Elon Musk's investment in DeepMind and Google's 2014 acquisition, supported by public records. However, the narrative includes a dramatized plane anecdote without primary sourcing and omits Musk's opposition to the acquisition, introducing framing violations and logical fallacies.
Analysis Summary
The post recounts Elon Musk as an original funder of DeepMind and describes a plane incident where Larry Page allegedly discovered the company through a video of its AI playing Breakout, leading to Google's acquisition despite Musk's integration hopes for Tesla. Core elements like Musk's investment and the 2014 acquisition are factual, supported by public records, though the plane anecdote is a dramatized version of reported events from biographies. It extends this to frame Musk as repeatedly disadvantaged in AI, including with OpenAI.
Original Content
The Facts
The post aligns with verified historical accounts of Musk's investment in DeepMind and Google's acquisition, but the plane story is an anecdotal embellishment without direct primary sourcing, potentially simplifying complex negotiations. Verdict: Mostly Accurate with narrative flair
Benefit of the Doubt
The author advances a narrative sympathizing with Elon Musk as an innovative founder repeatedly undermined by larger corporations like Google, emphasizing personal betrayal and loss of control in AI development. It highlights dramatic discovery moments and Musk's victimhood, omitting key context such as Musk's active attempts to block the DeepMind deal, his concerns over AI safety under Google's control, and his subsequent co-founding of OpenAI as a direct countermeasure. This selective emphasis shapes reader perception toward viewing Musk as a passive underdog, fostering admiration for his persistence amid corporate intrigue.
How Is This Framed?
Biases, omissions, and misleading presentation techniques detected
Omits Musk's active opposition to the Google acquisition, his AI safety concerns, and his role in founding OpenAI as a response, presenting him as passively victimized
Problematic phrases:
"Elon Musk has been screwed over twice""taken away"What's actually there:
Musk attempted to acquire DeepMind himself, lobbied against Google's deal due to AI risks, and co-founded OpenAI in 2015 as a counter
What's implied:
Musk was involuntarily and repeatedly disadvantaged without agency
Impact: Leads readers to perceive Musk as a helpless underdog, fostering undue sympathy and admiration while ignoring his strategic actions
Presents the narrative solely from Musk's perspective as betrayal, excluding Google's legitimate business interests or the negotiated nature of the acquisition
Problematic phrases:
"hoping to ultimately integrate them into his Tesla efforts""screwed over"What's actually there:
Acquisition in 2014 followed prolonged negotiations; Musk's Tesla integration hopes were speculative and not central to DeepMind's founding
What's implied:
Google's move was a direct theft undermining Musk's plans
Impact: Shapes perception toward corporate villainy vs. individual heroism, polarizing views on AI industry dynamics
Implies the casual plane viewing directly led to Google's acquisition, oversimplifying a multi-year process
Problematic phrases:
"which is how Larry Page discovered DeepMind!""Of course then Larry Page and Google acquired DeepMind"What's actually there:
DeepMind founded 2010, funded by Musk among others; acquisition announced Jan 2014 after formal talks; anecdote from biographies like 'Superintelligence' but not causal proof
What's implied:
Spontaneous discovery prompted immediate takeover
Impact: Creates a misleading dramatic chain of events, making the acquisition seem impulsive rather than strategic
Frames two unrelated AI ventures as a repeating pattern of loss, using loaded language to suggest systemic injustice
Problematic phrases:
"screwed over twice"What's actually there:
DeepMind (2014 acquisition); OpenAI (Musk co-founded 2015, left 2018 amid disputes but not 'taken away' like DeepMind)
What's implied:
Identical pattern of foundational investments being stolen
Impact: Encourages readers to see isolated events as a trend, amplifying perceptions of Musk's victimhood
Presents decade-old events (DeepMind 2010-2014) as fresh revelation via 'I just learned,' implying novelty
Problematic phrases:
"I just learned"What's actually there:
Events public since 2014 biographies and news
What's implied:
Recently uncovered story with ongoing relevance
Impact: Generates false sense of timeliness, boosting shareability and engagement
Sources & References
External sources consulted for this analysis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_DeepMind
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/03/technology/ai-openai-musk-page-altman.html
https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-google-larry-page-future-of-ai-2023-9
https://www.wired.com/story/deepmind/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/martineparis/2023/04/18/elon-musk-dishes-on-google-and-openai-over-ai-wars-on-fox-news/
https://www.reddit.com/r/ChatGPT/comments/16jewjp/elon_musk_poached_a_google_scientist_and/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeepMind
https://archive.ph/l2Ce6
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/musk-once-tried-stop-googles-100941370.html
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/elon-musk-lost-friend-over-205932958.html
https://time.com/magazine/us/6318762/october-9th-2023-vol-202-no-11-u-s
https://techcrunch.com/2014/01/26/google-deepmind/
https://siliconrepublic.com/start-ups/google-acquires-ai-start-up-deepmind-technologies-for-us500m
https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tried-to-outbid-google-for-deepmind-report-says-2023-5
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1936244076669812910
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1868953205733999055
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1832618127189774374
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1947339250900570481
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1721621029783498948
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1905731750275510312
https://www.reddit.com/r/ChatGPT/comments/16e7cph/musk_once_tried_to_stop_googles_deepmind/
https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-google-larry-page-future-of-ai-2023-9
https://www.cryptopolitan.com/musks-attempt-to-halt-deepmind-acquisition/
https://fortune.com/2023/09/12/elon-musk-larry-page-friendship-over-ai/
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/03/technology/ai-openai-musk-page-altman.html
https://www.reddit.com/r/ChatGPT/comments/16jewjp/elon_musk_poached_a_google_scientist_and/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_DeepMind
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/elon-musk-lost-friend-over-205932958.html
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/musk-once-tried-stop-googles-100941370.html
https://businessinsider.com/history-of-openai-company-chatgpt-elon-musk-founded-2022-12
https://news.yahoo.com/elon-musk-cofounded-openai-says-035901693.html
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/elon-musk-says-google-co-180607894.html
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/elon-musk-said-ilya-sutskever-171726023.html
https://cnbc.com/amp/2018/02/21/elon-musk-is-leaving-the-board-of-openai.html
https://x.com/bradneuberg/status/1720610348607127742
https://x.com/bradneuberg/status/1576064038802366465
https://x.com/bradneuberg/status/1763676898738212959
https://x.com/bradneuberg/status/1798441065680396376
https://x.com/bradneuberg/status/1770966918478049488
https://x.com/bradneuberg/status/1532984884574101511
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