Meta’s Bold Play: $100 Million to Lure OpenAI Engineers
In a dramatic revelation that underscores the growing arms race in artificial intelligence, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman disclosed that Meta has been aggressively trying to recruit top OpenAI talent—offering individual bonuses of up to $100 million.
Speaking on the Uncapped podcast, hosted by his brother Jack Altman, Sam described Meta’s move as “insane” but confirmed that so far, none of OpenAI’s best minds have accepted the offer. The stakes? Control over the next generation of superintelligent AI.
Mark Zuckerberg’s New AI Dream Team
At the heart of this hiring spree is Meta’s newly formed Superintelligence Team, a specialized unit tasked with leading breakthroughs in artificial intelligence research. According to internal sources, the team will comprise about 50 elite engineers and researchers, hand-picked to accelerate Meta’s ambitions in the AI race.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, is reportedly personally involved in building the team—a clear sign that Meta sees this effort as a top strategic priority. The timing couldn’t be more deliberate: as OpenAI continues to dominate the large language model (LLM) space, Meta is doubling down to challenge its lead.
Meta’s Investment Blitz: Betting Big on Scale AI
In June, Meta made headlines by investing $14.3 billion into Scale AI, a rising star in the data-labeling and AI infrastructure world. As part of the deal, Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang and other key staff joined Meta’s efforts to enhance the development of Llama, its family of large language models.
Meanwhile, the partnership ruffled feathers at Google, which reportedly plans to cut ties with Scale AI in response. The aggressive moves are seen as part of Meta’s broader strategy to disrupt the current AI power balance.
Failed Recruiting of AI Leaders
Despite Meta’s lavish offers, several high-profile poaching attempts have reportedly failed. Noam Brown, one of OpenAI’s top researchers, and Koray Kavukcuoglu, a leading AI architect at Google DeepMind, were both approached by Meta. According to Bloomberg, neither accepted the offers—highlighting the loyalty of top AI talent or perhaps the strength of the missions they currently serve.
Altman’s Critique: Money Can’t Buy Innovation
While Altman respects Meta’s aggressiveness, he believes the company’s emphasis on financial incentives over mission-driven purpose may not lead to lasting success.
“I don’t think Meta has done particularly well in innovation,” he said. “If you focus only on compensation and not on a broader mission—like building general artificial intelligence for the good of humanity—you miss out on building a strong, lasting culture.”
Altman also added that Meta likely views OpenAI as its “biggest competitor,” which only raises the stakes in what is quickly becoming a multi-billion-dollar race for AI dominance.
A Talent War That Could Shape the Future of AI
This is more than just a recruitment story—it’s a snapshot of the intense battle for AI supremacy. The fact that companies are willing to offer nine-figure bonuses to secure top minds illustrates just how valuable this talent has become.
The emergence of dedicated superintelligence teams, the realignment of major tech alliances, and the aggressive acquisition strategies all point toward one thing: the AI revolution is accelerating, and the companies that attract and retain the right talent will shape the future of how we live, work, and think.
Conclusion: Vision Over Value
While Meta is betting on bonuses, OpenAI is standing by its mission-centric philosophy. Sam Altman’s comments serve as a reminder that in the world of AI, culture and vision still matter, even when billion-dollar deals are on the table.
The coming years will reveal whether money or meaning wins the AI talent war. But for now, OpenAI’s core team remains intact, and the world continues to watch this high-stakes battle unfold.
