Jonas Andrulis on the criticism of Aleph Alpha: “I am not here to maximize my personal pleasure”

First highly praised, then sometimes harshly attacked: Jonas Andrulis and his company Aleph Alpha were the stars of the German AI scene for a long time. But then the company also had to endure criticism. For example, due to unexpectedly weak sales , a poorly communicated mega-financing round of over 500 million euros , managers leaving the company , and the significant influence of the Schwarz Group . The criticism was largely unjustified, as the CEO now says in an initial interview with Gründerszene.

It's normal for a fast-growing tech startup to fail to make a profit or for employees to leave the company. After all, 400 people now work for the Heidelberg-based AI company. Nevertheless, the criticism hasn't left him unscathed. He's taken it to heart.

In an interview at the AI ​​conference Rise of AI in Berlin, Andrulis told us how he is dealing with the situation, which technologies set Aleph Alpha apart from the competition, and why the uncertainty of a Trump administration plays into the hands of the AI ​​startup.

Jonas, I saw you at a conference last year and was surprised at how much technical detail you went into during a talk. Often, such talks by CEOs of large AI companies are more of a sales pitch. Do you find the role of CEO difficult when you're supposed to be the "geeky dude" but have to be the front figure?