After listening to the Acquired podcast episode on Google AI, I wanted to map how many of today’s major AI players have their roots in Google. I built a network-style flowchart that visualizes this “AI Mafia”.

The goal was to map how deeply Google’s early AI efforts radiated towards current companies, viz, OpenAI, DeepMind, Cohere, etc. Each node links people and organizations mentioned in the episode, with logos for clarity.

There is still some UX work that can be done. Do explore the graph and I am sure you would also be interested in seeing the PayPal Mafia playing an important role, and how so many logos link back to Google (Brain).

Edit: Podcast link: https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/google-the-ai-company

Can't say about the content so far as I can't read it - letters are to small (so much space wasted in that boxes, still clip letters) and with browser zoom 200% blurry (on 27" 4k), using that page special zoom can't see the whole picture - neither scroll it with my Scrollpoint mouse beacuse now it's zooming :(

Why I'm forced to interact with it in some unusual way, instead of let me just have a look or print it - is it made in such way for some purpose (document programmer has some, but no DTP/design skills - so DIY) ?

The PayPal “mafia” is cringey enough already, please enough of this word to describe a cabal.

You’re also missing women in this graph, there are women.

What’s the underling framework/website used to make the mind map?

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