Jarek Kutylowski, CEO and founder at DeepL: Why DeepL wouldn’t settle for “good enough” AI.

Building DeepL started with a clear bet: language would be the first place where AI had to be genuinely good.At Slush in Helsinki, I sat down with Jarek Kutylowski, CEO and founder of DeepL, and we talked about why “good enough” wasn’t enough for translation, how quality became the company’s moat, and what changes when AI moves from experiments into real business use.The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel - check them out here:https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjkSponsors:SurrealDB: The multi-model database for AI agents. Check them out here: https://surrealdb.com/Omni: The AI analytics platform trusted by fast-growing companies like Perplexity, Synthesia, and dbt Labs. Check them out here: https://omni.co/Venture Comet: The platform that gives startups and scale-ups real-time equity tracking, daily business insights and automated management information. Check them out here: https://venturecomet.com/Timestamps:0:00 - Introduction to Scaling Europe show0:25 - Interview with Eric, CEO of DeepL1:00 - DeepL's journey and mission explained3:22 - DeepL's focus on translation quality6:08 - New functionality for translation services7:12 - Understanding enterprise customer needs9:02 - Engaging in deeper customer conversations10:12 - Vision for new AI product development12:55 - Challenges of building startups in Europe14:58 - Importance of targeting global markets16:05 - Best moment in the founder's journey18:06 - Overcoming emotional challenges as a founder