Altman reveals intense talent war in AI industry
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman claims that Meta has attempted to lure top OpenAI engineers with signing bonuses as high as $100 million. Speaking on the Uncapped podcast, hosted by his brother, Altman said Meta is aggressively recruiting as it works to build out its superintelligence unit and compete more directly in the artificial intelligence race.
“They started making giant offers to a lot of people on our team,” Altman said. “You know, like $100 million signing bonuses, more than that in compensation per year.” He added that none of OpenAI’s best talent had accepted the offers so far.
Meta has not commented on the allegations, and Reuters was unable to verify the figures. The company recently invested $14.3 billion in Scale AI and appointed its CEO, Alexandr Wang, to head Meta’s new superintelligence team.
AI hiring war heats up as tech giants battle for dominance
The fierce competition underscores the strategic importance of individual AI researchers, many of whom are viewed as irreplaceable assets. Companies like Meta, Google, OpenAI, and DeepSeek are scrambling to attract and retain top minds who can push the boundaries of AI development.
Meta’s recent hiring efforts come amid internal challenges. The company, once a leader in open-source AI models, has experienced staff turnover and delays in launching new models that would rival systems from Google and OpenAI. Altman believes Meta now views OpenAI as its primary competitor in the race to develop advanced AI systems.
Rising compensation reflects new AI gold rush
With AI talent now being courted like elite athletes, compensation packages are reaching unprecedented levels. Some firms are willing to offer tens of millions in annual pay, driven by the belief that individual engineers can dramatically impact product development, market positioning, and long-term success in AI leadership.
Altman’s remarks highlight how central AI has become to the strategic ambitions of major tech firms. As companies invest billions into compute infrastructure, superintelligence labs, and foundational models, securing and protecting talent is emerging as one of the highest-stakes battles in Silicon Valley.
