Meta’s AI Talent Grab Sparks Backlash From OpenAI
Mark Zuckerberg just made a power move in the AI wars—and it’s got OpenAI fuming. Over the past few months, Meta has quietly poached some of the biggest names in artificial intelligence research from rivals like OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic. The scale of the hiring spree became public this week, and the reaction has been… intense.
According to an internal memo seen by CNBC, Zuckerberg has assembled what he’s calling the “Meta Superintelligence Labs,” a new team tasked with pushing the boundaries of AI development. Leading the group is Alexandr Wang, formerly of Scale AI, alongside Nat Friedman, ex-CEO of GitHub. But the real story is who else jumped ship—and how their former employers are reacting.
OpenAI’s “Visceral” Reaction
OpenAI’s chief research officer, Mark Chen, didn’t hold back in a memo to staff. He compared Meta’s recruitment tactics to a break-in, saying it felt like someone had “stolen something” from the company. The emotional language suggests just how high the stakes are.
Rumors had been swirling for weeks about Meta offering massive signing bonuses—reportedly as high as $100 million—to lure top researchers. OpenAI hasn’t confirmed those numbers, but the company did give employees an unexpected week off, calling it a “recharge” period to decompress amid the frenzy.
At least four high-profile OpenAI researchers have already left for Meta, including Jiahui Yu and Hongyu Ren, both key contributors to GPT-4. The Wall Street Journal also confirmed exits like Lucas Beyer and Alexander Kolesnikov, who’d previously worked together at Google DeepMind.
Money, Compute, and the Future
Zuckerberg’s memo frames this as a necessary step toward “superintelligence,” but it’s hard to ignore the sheer aggression of the hiring push. Meta’s stock ticked up slightly after the news broke, though the real impact won’t be clear for years.
Chen, meanwhile, tried to downplay the drama, calling the talent war a “side quest” compared to OpenAI’s broader mission. But if this is just a skirmish, it’s one that could reshape the entire field. Top researchers aren’t just chasing paychecks—they’re looking for the resources and freedom to build the next generation of AI. And right now, Meta seems willing to give them both.
Neither company responded to requests for comment. But one thing’s certain: the battle for AI supremacy isn’t just about algorithms anymore. It’s about people. And Meta just grabbed a whole lot of them.
