June 18, 2025 – Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is ramping up recruitment efforts to lure top AI researchers from OpenAI and Google DeepMind into his newly formed superintelligence unit, TechCrunch reported today. The company is said to be offering eye-popping compensation packages—including salaries and signing bonuses totaling up to $100 million—to entice talent to join the team led by former Scale AI CEO Alexander Wang, with the added incentive of proximity to Zuckerberg’s own workspace.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed these rumors during a podcast episode co-hosted with his brother Jack Altman, which aired on Tuesday. While acknowledging Meta’s aggressive offers, Altman couldn’t resist a jab at the rival’s lack of progress. “Meta has made some truly staggering offers to our team members—like $100 million signing bonuses, with salaries far exceeding that,” he said. “I’m relieved that, so far, none of our best people have taken the bait.”
Altman attributed the rejections to OpenAI’s perceived edge in achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI) and its potential to become a far more valuable company. He also criticized Meta’s approach, arguing that its focus on financial incentives over mission-driven culture could stifle true innovation. “Meta’s culture of throwing money at problems might not foster the kind of breakthroughs we’re seeing here,” he remarked.
Reports suggest Meta has targeted key OpenAI researcher Noam Brown and Google AI architecture lead Koray Kavukcuoglu, though neither has been swayed. Altman doubled down on OpenAI’s strengths, emphasizing its commitment to innovation—a trait he claims Meta’s current AI projects lack. “I respect certain aspects of what Meta does, but let’s be clear: they’re not known for pushing boundaries,” he stated. To stay ahead in the AI race, he argued, companies must prioritize groundbreaking work over mere catch-up efforts.
