OpenAI has raised concerns as Meta intensifies its efforts to recruit its top AI talent. Leadership says it’s “not sitting idly by” as pressure mounts from Mark Zuckerberg’s intensified recruiting campaign.
A memo obtained by WIRED reveals internal frustration, with OpenAI’s chief scientist Mark Chen comparing the loss to a break-in. Behind the scenes, the company is working hard to retain top talent.
Talent losses push OpenAI into defensive posture
Chen’s memo highlights the growing unease within the company as Meta intensifies its efforts to attract top researchers. Leaders are now urging staff to reject high-pressure offers and warning that a coordinated recruitment strategy is underway. Neither company responded to WIRED’s requests for comment.
Just days earlier, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and COO Brad Lightcap publicly downplayed Meta’s hiring efforts during a podcast appearance.
Rich offers, rough weeks
Facing a shrinking bench of researchers, OpenAI is rolling out a recharge week for employees, pausing most operations while leadership stays on call. In the same memo, executives cautioned that Meta might use the downtime to approach staff and accelerate negotiations.
Chen said compensation is being recalibrated and that he’s working with leadership “around the clock” to engage employees with competing offers. He also mentioned exploring creative ways to reward top performers while maintaining fairness across the team.
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Meta’s tactics have drawn attention across the industry. Altman asserted the social media giant was offering packages worth over $100 million to lure talent away from rivals.
That figure is in dispute. Lucas Beyer, one of the researchers who left, called it “fake news.” Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth also dismissed the claim, saying only a handful of senior leaders ever see numbers that high.
The planned company-wide break comes amid reports that some OpenAI staff have been working up to 80 hours per week. For those weighing offers, it might not just be about who pays more, but about who asks less.
Zuckerberg is all in
Meta’s hiring spree at OpenAI highlights how determined Zuckerberg is about building his superintelligence lab and dominating the race to AGI.
With a $14 billion investment in Scale AI and direct involvement in recruiting top researchers, the AI company is making a hard push to overtake competitors following recent setbacks.
The money is real, the mission is clear, and the clock is ticking.
Read about the internal shifts at Meta that could lead to a departure from its Llama AI models in favor of new directions.