Meta (META, Financial) is swinging big in the AI talent war—and it's getting personal. According to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the tech giant has been offering up to $100 million in sign-on bonuses to lure top engineers away from his company. Altman says Mark Zuckerberg himself is calling staff directly, trying to build a “superintelligence” dream team to reboot Meta's AI momentum. Despite these high-stakes pitches, Altman insists none of his best people have taken the bait, suggesting Meta's compensation-first approach isn't resonating with those focused on mission and impact.
It's not hard to see why Meta is pressing the gas. After a year of AI setbacks—delays to its flagship “Behemoth” model, backlash over Llama 4's performance claims, and a quiet exodus of senior AI researchers including Joelle Pineau—the company is scrambling to regain its footing. Zuckerberg recently poured $15 billion into Scale AI and hired its co-founder Alexandr Wang, signaling Meta's urgency to close the gap with rivals. But critics point to a deeper issue: even with aggressive spending, Meta's leadership in AI remains in question.
Altman called out Meta's strategy bluntly: “a ton of upfront guaranteed comp” doesn't build long-term innovation. While Meta's compensation packages can reach $3.7 million, OpenAI's own ranges are no small change, with some engineers earning over $1.3 million. Still, the contrast in culture and direction seems to matter more than the money. As Meta races to catch up, investors may want to watch whether the dollars actually translate into breakthroughs—or just headlines.
