DeepL vs. Google: How the Cologne-based AI company is overtaking the tech giant

DeepL, a provider of AI language technology, is revolutionising global communication with artificial intelligence (AI). The Cologne-based company tops the list of most-used machine translation providers and is now worth more than two billion US dollars. Dr. Manfred Janssen, CEO of KölnBusiness, met with Dr. Jaroslaw Kutylowski, founder and CEO of DeepL.

Dr Kutylowski, DeepL is the most widely-used provider of machine translation. How have you managed to overtake other technology giants such as Google and Microsoft?
More than 100,000 companies and organisations use DeepL - and we are very proud of that. There is no single secret recipe that has brought us this success. But what has certainly helped is our focus. Unlike the US tech giants, we focused on our one goal from the very beginning. For Google, for example, the translator is just a small sub-project, whereas at DeepL we are all pulling in the same direction at full steam. This has allowed us to focus our R&D efforts and achieve the highest quality. This underlines the success of our special focus on the highest translation quality.

What other attitude helps you in this neck-and-neck race with the strongest companies in the world?
I think focus also plays a role here. Of course we look at the competition. But we don't focus on being better than them, we focus on getting the best out of our products. We work very closely with our customers and listen to user feedback. This allows us to develop our products and the company in a focused way, and of course they compete with the best in the world. In addition, there is a good working atmosphere, which we ensure from the outset. A good team spirit, a down-to-earth attitude and a bit of drive are always part of it. If everyone shares the same values, you can rely on each other - that's important.

At what point in your career as a PhD computer scientist, founder and CEO of DeepL SE did you have to muster the most courage?
It was definitely the first day of sixth grade, when I went to a German school for the first time without knowing a word of German. It wasn't easy. But basically, that experience led me to where I am today. Without that background of inevitable bilingualism, DeepL might not even exist. The incentive to simplify communication through AI may not have come that day, but it certainly left its mark on me.

What has been your biggest challenge in developing your AI?
We have always wanted to provide the best quality for our users, but of course that sounds like a very ambitious mission that involves more than just one challenge. It all starts with getting the right training material. The large language models, on which DeepL's products are based, have to be fed with vast amounts of data. It's not enough to throw in a few newspaper articles. The quality of the data and, of course, the training methodology are crucial. To this end, we have developed special crawlers that automatically find translations on the Internet and assess their quality.

DeepL and the future of AI-supported communication

Which AI applications do you think will change our lives significantly?
In our daily work, we can already see how artificial intelligence can simplify processes and make tasks more efficient. DeepL Write is a good example of this here. If I want to write an email to customers in the US, I don't have to spend half an hour agonising over a sentence that doesn't sound quite right. I don't have to research it and rack my brains over what's wrong with it or how it could be expressed better. DeepL Write does this for me in real time - suggesting alternative wordings and improving spelling and grammar, so I no longer have to worry about the correctness of my email. I think we will learn to appreciate AI in precisely this supportive role. Ultimately, it will depend on what we make of this development, how we deal with AI and what we want to use it for.

How are you developing your AI? Where do you see the next big opportunities for DeepL?
Research has always been a top priority for the Cologne-based company. This means that we will continue to focus on optimising our network architecture, learning from experience and achieving the best possible results with our AI-based communication solutions. It's not about quantity, it's about quality. And I believe that is how we will continue to differentiate ourselves from the competition.

In your vision: Where do you see DeepL in five years' time?
Our big goal is to break down language barriers around the world - and help companies, teams and people overcome language challenges. To achieve this vision, we will continue to grow internationally and develop our product and technology. In recent weeks and months, we have been laying the foundations for this development: We have opened our first technology centre in the US, expanded our glossary function, introduced a new CTO and a new CMO, and further expanded our computing infrastructure.

Cologne remains DeepL's core location

Let's talk about Cologne: With 47 universities, 31 research institutes and 17,300 computer science students, the greater Cologne area has more potential than Berlin or Hamburg. Do you benefit from this?
Absolutely. We have a pool of young talent right on our doorstep. The quantity and quality of the universities in the immediate catchment area is undeniable. So it's not difficult to find specialists with the same values and the same sense of developing new technologies. Cologne remains our key base, even though we now operate in 228 markets around the world. This global focus helps us reach the best talent worldwide and accelerate our growth.

What else makes Cologne such a great location for you?
As an AI company, the comparison with Silicon Valley is always exciting. In this respect, I can only say that we have thrived in Cologne. Especially in the beginning - as a small AI start-up - it was an advantage not to have to compete with the really big companies from California. For example, we had less competition in the job market and were able to develop quickly and in a targeted manner. Today we are a global company with a valuation of over two billion US dollars, but for DeepL Cologne remains an important location for research and development.

What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs?
Just do it. I think there is a certain underlying scepticism in Germany when it comes to starting a business. If you are less afraid of the bureaucratic hurdles, you have already taken a big step. Then it depends on what you make of it. As I mentioned at the beginning, the key to our success was above all a clear mission, a clear focus and a strong team.

About DeepL

DeepL helps companies to overcome language barriers around the world. More than 100,000 companies and public authorities, as well as millions of private customers in 228 markets worldwide, already rely on DeepL's AI language technology to benefit from natural-sounding translations and better communication. DeepL's AI language solutions offer the highest level of security and help companies around the world to improve their business communications, enter new markets and increase productivity. Founded in 2017 by CEO Dr Jaroslaw (Jarek) Kutylowski, the company now has over 1,000 dedicated employees and is backed by internationally renowned investors including Benchmark, IVP and Index Ventures.