- Sam Altman said Meta offered up to $100 million to recruit OpenAI engineers, but none accepted.
- He questioned the effectiveness of using large bonuses to spark genuine AI innovation.
What happened: Altman accuses Meta of poaching amid $100M bonus offers and $15B Scale AI deal
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has accused Meta of attempting to lure his top talent with signing bonuses of up to $100 million, as detailed on his brother’s “Uncapped” podcast. According to Altman, despite Meta’s aggressive recruitment effort—including its $15 billion investment in Scale AI—not a single key OpenAI employee has accepted such offers. He dismissed Meta’s talent-grabbing tactics as “sports free-agent” strategies, warning that high pay alone rarely fosters real innovation.
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Why it’s important
This revelation underscores the intense competition in the race to secure elite AI talent. Meta’s hefty compensation packages reflect its urgency to catch up after Llama 4 underperformed and faced talent losses. Altman’s critique suggests that mission-driven culture may still outweigh financial incentives in attracting top staff. The situation raises questions about whether high salaries or ambitious research environments better foster long-term innovation in AI.
