Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has initiated a significant hiring spree to bolster Meta’s new superintelligence team, reportedly offering top-tier AI researchers from rival labs, including OpenAI and Google DeepMind, compensation packages exceeding $100 million. This aggressive recruitment drive signifies a feverish pitch in the competition for elite AI talent, with companies viewing individual contributors as pivotal to success.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman publicly confirmed these reports, noting on his brother Jack Altman’s podcast that Meta has made “giant offers” to many on his team, including $100 million signing bonuses. However, he emphasized that Meta’s efforts have been largely unsuccessful, stating that none of OpenAI’s best people have accepted these lucrative offers. Altman attributed this to his employees’ belief in OpenAI’s greater potential to achieve Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and become a more valuable company. He also critiqued Meta’s strategy, suggesting that an emphasis on high compensation over a core mission of delivering AGI would not foster a great work culture. Specific failed attempts by Meta to poach talent included OpenAI’s lead researcher, Noam Brown, and Google’s AI architect, Koray Kavukcuoglu.

Altman further stated his conviction that OpenAI’s culture of innovation is central to its success, contrasting it with Meta’s “current AI efforts [that] have not worked as well as they hoped.” While respecting many aspects of Meta, Altman expressed doubt about their innovative capacity in the AI space, reiterating that true innovation, not merely catching up, is necessary to lead. He also acknowledged that Meta views OpenAI as a primary competitor in the race for advanced AI systems.

Despite these recruitment setbacks, Meta has made notable moves to strengthen its AI division. The company recently invested $14.3 billion in Scale AI, the former company of Alexandr Wang, who has now been brought on board to lead Meta’s superintelligence team. Meta has also reportedly secured other star AI researchers, such as Jack Rae from Google DeepMind and Johan Schalkwyk from Sesame AI. These efforts are crucial as Meta aims to staff its new AI team while competitors like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind operate at full speed.

The competitive landscape extends beyond talent acquisition into product development. OpenAI is anticipated to release an open AI model soon, which could further challenge Meta’s position in the AI race. Moreover, Sam Altman hinted at OpenAI’s exploration of an AI-powered social media application designed to deliver custom feeds based on user preferences, potentially encroaching on Meta’s core app business. Meta, in parallel, is experimenting with its own AI-powered social network through the Meta AI app, though initial user experiences have sometimes led to confusion and hyper-personal chats being shared publicly. The future success of AI-powered social networks remains uncertain, but the current climate suggests an intensifying rivalry between Zuckerberg and Altman for both AI talent and market dominance.