Demis Hassabis

And so then the author goes again, just into what kind of person Demis is.

Demis, who blazed the trail followed by his rivals, is decent and public spirited and wants the best for humanity.

He has ego.

He is ferociously competitive, but his goal is scientific enlightenment, not money or power.

The spiritual language in which he sometimes couches his mission underscores how seriously he takes it.

So I would say definitely after I got to spend time with him, but especially after reading this book, he's the kind of passionate missionary that you just root for, that you want to see win.

And so one of the reoccurring themes throughout this book is just his comfort in following his own path, making his own decisions.

It says Demas himself is a figure apart.

It is not by coincidence that he has chosen to remain in London, far from Silicon Valley's hype and commotion.

And so he is telling the author how important stories are to him.

In fact, he said you should read one of his favorite novels, which is Ender's Game, to understand him.

And there's a great overview of Demis' accomplishments before he found this book.

Partway through his doctoral research in neuroscience, when he had already been a chess master, a video game designer, an amateur theoretical physicist, an entrepreneur, a computer scientist, and a five-time world champion...

Demis discovered a work of science fiction that made sense of who he really was.

The book was called Ender's Game, and it tells the story of a diminutive boy genius who is taken from his family and sent off to a space station.

There, at an intergalactic battle school, Ender is manipulated by adults, bullied by classmates, and put through extreme mental testing, all to discover whether he could shoulder responsibility for the survival of the human race.

By dint of grit and talent, Ender rises to the challenge.

Demis identified powerfully with Ender, and he suggested that I read Ender's game in advance of our first long conversation.

If I was to get to know him, I would have to understand his science fiction alter ego, to see the capacity for endurance, the ability to suffer and still soldier on.

Like Ender, Demis has dedicated every fiber of his being to the accomplishment of a mission, which is why he worked night shifts from 10 in the evening until 4 in the morning, in addition to his normal office hours.