The AI expertise wars are heating up as Meta makes an attempt to poach expertise from OpenAI with $100 million signing bonuses and even larger salaries — however OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says the corporate’s “greatest individuals” have turned down Meta’s supply.
On an episode of the “Uncapped” podcast that aired on Tuesday, Altman, 40, spoke candidly about Meta’s efforts to recruit OpenAI researchers with “big gives.” Whereas Meta’s efforts have been unsuccessful to this point, Altman expressed disbelief on the nine-figure signing bonuses and salaries. The common worker at OpenAI makes $1.13 million per yr, in line with Ranges.fyi.
“They [Meta] began making these big gives to lots of people on our workforce,” Altman mentioned within the podcast interview. “$100 million signing bonuses, greater than that comp [compensation] per yr. It’s loopy. I am actually pleased that, a minimum of to this point, none of our greatest individuals have determined to take them up on that.”
Associated: Here is How A lot a Typical Google Worker Makes in a 12 months
Altman mentioned that the explanation OpenAI researchers selected to remain on the startup as an alternative of transferring to larger salaries at Meta was as a result of they assume OpenAI has “a significantly better shot” of reaching superintelligence, or the purpose the place AI surpasses human intelligence in reminiscence, reasoning, and data.
He mentioned that OpenAI had created a “particular” kind of tradition that wasn’t primarily based on excessive upfront compensation however on the work and the mission of the startup. OpenAI’s mission of growing AI to profit “all of humanity” comes first, with the monetary incentives flowing from reaching that mission, Altman mentioned.
“I hope that we could be the perfect place on the earth to do [AI] analysis,” Altman asserted.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Photograph by Justin Sullivan/Getty Pictures
Meta has not too long ago began assembling a 50-person workforce, the Superintelligence lab, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, 41, is reportedly overseeing the hiring. In response to a Bloomberg report final week, Zuckerberg has been providing AI researchers compensation packages starting from seven to 9 figures to affix the workforce.
Zuckerberg desires to drag forward of rivals like OpenAI and Google and make Meta lead the race to realize superintelligence, in line with the report.
Nevertheless, Meta nonetheless seems to be dropping AI expertise. Deedy Das, a principal at enterprise capital agency Menlo Companions, wrote on X that he had heard of three circumstances final week of Meta dropping researchers to OpenAI and Anthropic regardless of providing them greater than $2 million per yr.
“The AI expertise wars are completely ridiculous,” Das wrote.
Meta is presently providing $2M+/yr in gives for AI expertise and nonetheless dropping them to OpenAI and Anthropic. Heard ~3 such circumstances this week.
The AI expertise wars are completely ridiculous.
At this time, Anthropic has the very best ~80% retention 2 years in and is the #1 (massive) firm high AI… pic.twitter.com/YSv5UNV5H2
— Deedy (@deedydas) June 10, 2025
Meta has additionally not too long ago made a hefty funding in change for recent expertise. The corporate introduced final week that it was investing $14.3 billion into information labeling startup Scale AI, in return for a 49% stake within the startup and the acquisition of expertise. Scale AI’s 28-year-old CEO Alexandr Wang will reportedly be part of Meta’s superintelligence workforce in a high management position.
Each Meta and OpenAI have substantial person bases. Zuckerberg mentioned in Could that Meta’s AI assistant has one billion month-to-month lively customers. In the meantime, OpenAI mentioned in late March that it had 500 million weekly lively customers.
The AI expertise wars are heating up as Meta makes an attempt to poach expertise from OpenAI with $100 million signing bonuses and even larger salaries — however OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says the corporate’s “greatest individuals” have turned down Meta’s supply.
On an episode of the “Uncapped” podcast that aired on Tuesday, Altman, 40, spoke candidly about Meta’s efforts to recruit OpenAI researchers with “big gives.” Whereas Meta’s efforts have been unsuccessful to this point, Altman expressed disbelief on the nine-figure signing bonuses and salaries. The common worker at OpenAI makes $1.13 million per yr, in line with Ranges.fyi.
“They [Meta] began making these big gives to lots of people on our workforce,” Altman mentioned within the podcast interview. “$100 million signing bonuses, greater than that comp [compensation] per yr. It’s loopy. I am actually pleased that, a minimum of to this point, none of our greatest individuals have determined to take them up on that.”
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