Sam Altman: Meta Trying to Poach OpenAI Staff With $100M Signing Bonuses
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has revealed that Meta Platforms Inc. is offering up to $100 million in signing bonuses to recruit top engineers from OpenAI, underscoring the intensifying race among tech giants to secure elite talent in artificial intelligence.
In an interview on the Uncapped podcast, hosted by his brother, Altman said Meta has made “giant offers” to multiple OpenAI team members as it aggressively scales its AI operations. “They started making giant offers to a lot of people on our team,” Altman stated. “You know, like $100 million signing bonuses, more than that in compensation per year.”
Despite the massive offers, Altman added, “At least so far, none of our best people have decided to take them up on that.”
Meta’s High-Stakes Push for AI Superiority
Altman’s comments come as Meta ramps up its ambitions in the AI space. The company recently invested $14.3 billion in Scale AI, a top data-labelling firm, and appointed its CEO, Alexandr Wang, to lead Meta’s new superintelligence unit.
Meta’s aggressive hiring tactics reflect the intense competition for machine learning and AI research talent. Engineers and researchers working on advanced AI models are now being courted with sports-star-level compensation packages, as companies believe individual contributors can determine the success or failure of major AI projects.
“I’ve heard that Meta thinks of us as their biggest competitor,” Altman added, alluding to the strategic rivalry between the two AI powerhouses.
Meta’s AI Journey: Struggles and Ambitions
While Meta was once a leading voice in open-source AI, the company has recently suffered from key staff exits and delays in releasing new models. It has been working to re-establish itself alongside Google DeepMind, OpenAI, and China’s DeepSeek.
The new superintelligence team, under Alexandr Wang’s leadership, is viewed as Meta’s next big bet to close the AI gap and possibly leapfrog competitors.
Despite not commenting officially on Altman’s remarks, Meta’s recent moves, including billion-dollar investments and top-tier talent acquisitions, suggest a high-stakes plan to take the lead in AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) and next-generation large language models.
Key Takeaways:
- Sam Altman says Meta is offering $100 million+ signing bonuses to OpenAI employees.
- OpenAI staff are being heavily courted, but none of its “best people” have left.
- Meta has invested $14.3 billion in Scale AI and hired its CEO to lead a new AI division.
- The global AI talent war is heating up, with engineers being compared to pro athletes in value.
- Meta’s AI progress has stalled due to staff exits and delayed model launches, prompting a renewed push.
