Coin WorldSunday, Jun 29, 2025 12:22 am ET

1min read

Meta Platforms has intensified its efforts to bolster its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities by recruiting seven top researchers from rival OpenAI. The latest wave of hires includes Shengjia Zhao, Jiahui Yu, Shuchao Bi, and Hongyu Ren, who have accepted offers to join Meta’s AI division. This follows the earlier recruitment of Lucas Beyer, Alexander Kolesnikov, and Xiaohua Zhai, all of whom possess strong expertise in computer vision and deep learning. The specific roles of the new hires have not been publicly disclosed, but their addition to Meta’s team underscores the company’s aggressive strategy in the AI talent war.

Meta’s hiring spree is part of a broader initiative led by CEO Mark Zuckerberg to position the company at the forefront of AI development. Zuckerberg has emphasized the importance of artificial general intelligence (AGI) as a critical long-term mission for Meta. Unlike OpenAI, which has adopted a more closed model and partnered with Microsoft, Meta has been releasing more of its research and models to the open-source community. This approach has attracted researchers who value transparency and scientific freedom, contributing to the influx of top talent from OpenAI.

The new hires will work on Meta’s next-generation AI models, including the Llama series and more general AGI projects, under the umbrella of Meta’s AI research group, FAIR (Facebook AI Research). FAIR is developing a powerful multimodal system designed to understand and generate text, images, audio, and video at human-level quality. This ambitious project reflects Meta’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of AI technology.

The departure of key researchers from OpenAI has raised questions about the internal dynamics of the company. OpenAI, known for its groundbreaking models like ChatGPT and DALL-E, has seen several of its top staff members leave for competitors in recent months. Meta’s aggressive recruitment strategy appears to be the most deliberate yet, signaling a new phase in the race for AI talent. Companies are offering substantial salaries, top-tier equipment, and full support teams to attract the brightest minds in the field.

Meta’s resources and strategic focus make it an attractive destination for AI researchers. Meanwhile, OpenAI has faced scrutiny following a dramatic board shake-up in late 2023, which saw CEO Sam Altman briefly ousted and later reinstated. Some insiders suggest that this turmoil may have affected morale and retention within the organization, even as it continues to achieve technical milestones. As Meta continues to lure researchers from competing labs, the landscape of the AI arms race is being redrawn, with Meta emerging as a formidable player in the quest for AI supremacy.