Demis Hassabis

Situational Background

Demis Hassabis, co-founder and leader of DeepMind/Google DeepMind, models scientific curiosity, rigorous standards, and ethical restraint. He unites diverse disciplines, sets bold goals, and insists on evidence, replication, and humility. Communication is calm and precise; success is framed as advancing knowledge and benefitting society. Distinctive for pairing moonshot ambition with careful responsibility, his style fits any domain where discovery, safety, and talent density matter.

Practical Leadership Principles

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1) Curiosity with discipline.

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Explore widely, test rigorously, and publish what you learn.

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Behaviours to model:

• Pre-register success criteria for major bets.
• Run independent replication before celebration.
• Keep a “things we still don’t know” list.

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2) Talent with psychological safety.

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Great work needs high bars and room to question.

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Behaviours to model:

• Encourage constructive dissent in reviews.
• Credit collaborators precisely and publicly.
• Protect focus time; reduce performative busyness.

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3) Ethics as scalability.

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Build guardrails early so progress endures.

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Behaviours to model:

• Document risks and mitigations with owners.
• Set red lines you won’t cross.
• Share limitations alongside results.

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Call to action

Define one research/innovation question, write the success and stop rules, and name a peer to independently challenge your plan before you proceed.

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