OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed in a private all-hands meeting that Meta attempted to lure key OpenAI researchers with compensation packages exceeding $100 million per person, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussion. The bombshell disclosure highlights the fierce AI talent wars raging between tech giants as competition for generative AI expertise reaches unprecedented levels.
Table of Contents
Key Details of the Recruitment Battle
1. The Staggering Offers
✔ $5-10M base salaries for senior researchers (5-10x market rate)
✔ $ 50- 100 M+ in stock/retention bonuses for critical team members
✔ Full lab autonomy to pursue AGI research
2. Targeted OpenAI Teams
- GPT-6 development leads
- Multimodal (text-to-video) specialists
- AI safety researchers
3. Meta’s Strategic Motivation
- Accelerate LLaMA-4 development after GPT-5’s lead
- Compensate for failed OpenAI merger attempts
- Secure talent before expected IPO lockups expire
Why This Matters Now
- AI Arms Race Intensifies
- An estimated 30% of OpenAI’s top 100 researchers approached
- Comes weeks after Google DeepMind lost 5 leads to Anthropic
- Compensation Inflation
- Entry-level AI PhDs now commanding $ 1 M+ packages
- Threatens to price out academia/non-profits from the talent pool
- Existential Implications
- Raises concerns about the concentration of AGI talent at profit-driven corps
- Could accelerate regulatory scrutiny on AI labor markets
Industry Reactions
OpenAI Employees
“Flattering, but we’re building the future here,” – Senior Researcher (declined offer)
Meta Spokesperson
“We compete fiercely for world-class talent to advance responsible AI”
Ethics Experts
“This is sports-team economics applied to existential tech,” – AI Now Institute
The Bigger Picture
- 2025 AI Talent Migration
- Anthropic: Hired 12 Google Brain veterans
- xAI: Poached 8 Tesla Autopilot leads
- Amazon: Offering signing bonuses up to $5M
- Upcoming Flashpoints
- OpenAI’s next funding round (targeting $ 100 B+ valuation)
- EU AI Act talent retention clauses (draft proposal)
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