OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is calling out Meta’s aggressive push to lure top AI minds, some with offers as high as $100 million.
In a recent episode of Uncapped, a podcast hosted by his brother, Altman revealed that Meta has been actively targeting OpenAI staff. “They’ve tried to hire a lot of people at OpenAI,” he said. “So far, none of our best people have decided to take them up on that.”
Altman described the signing bonuses as “crazy,” but said his team isn’t easily swayed by money alone. “I think we understand a lot of things they don’t,” he added.
Meta, led by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is reportedly building a new “superintelligence” team. Zuckerberg is personally involved in recruiting top talent. The company’s $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI shows just how serious they are. That deal gives Meta a 49% stake and brings on Scale’s CEO, Alexandr Wang.
Wang, a former MIT dropout, co-founded Scale in his early 20s. Now in his late 20s, he’s seen as a key figure in Meta’s AI future. Sources say Meta’s main goal in the deal was securing Wang to lead its superintelligence efforts.
Meta has also hired talent from rivals like Google DeepMind. Most recently, they brought on Jack Rae, a respected AI researcher.
Despite Meta’s big moves, Altman questioned whether they can truly lead in AI. “I respect being aggressive and continuing to try new things,” he said. “But I don’t think they’re a company that’s great at innovation.”
Meta hasn’t commented publicly on the claims. But its recent delays in launching new AI models have raised questions about its strategy. Once seen as a leader in open-source AI, the company has lost ground to competitors like OpenAI, Google, and China’s DeepSeek.
For now, Altman seems confident in OpenAI’s direction. “Chasing high compensation could ultimately detract from meaningful work,” he said.
And with none of his top people jumping ship, he may have a point.
