Is Big Tech Buying the Future of AI?
Sam Altman, OpenAI’s current CEO, went on the Uncapped podcast to talk about the future of AI within the expanding digital age. There, he talked about a plethora of possibilities that AI can handle—from revolutionizing healthcare and scientific discovery to even transforming how humans work, learn and create. However, the conversation quickly shifted when Altman revealed that Meta is aggressively trying to poach OpenAI researchers and offering some as much as $100 million to jump ship.
How rare is AI Talent?
Altman has estimated that fewer than 1000 researchers globally have the skill set to train and fine-tune the powerful AI models that global companies have set their sights on. These are the people who know how to build LLMs, custom inference engines, and solve complex internal engine problems that could shape the future of artificial general intelligence. In other words, they are the keys to opening the next technological revolution.
To be the first ones to pioneer this new space, companies like Meta are willing to bet millions on them. However, OpenAI isn’t going to go down without a fight—Altman has disclosed that he has countered all offers from Meta with higher salaries and better packages. The fight’s not over yet, and as we continue to vie for better and stronger LLMs, the money is only going to stockpile.
How far is Meta willing to go to poach talent?
Before deciding to move on OpenAI workers, Meta had recently suffered some losses on the AI front. According to CNBC, Meta delayed the release of their latest flagship AI model due to complications with its capabilities and ethical judgment. The Wall Street Journal concurs that Meta’s engineers are struggling to improve the capabilities of their behemoth LLMs, leading to questions on existing talent within Meta and its standing in the AI race.
Set out to prove themselves in the playing field, Meta decided to take action. Their CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has had some success getting talent such as Alexandr Wang, who has shown great capabilities as the current CEO of Scale AI. What is even more impressive is the package that was offered to Wang—$14.3 billion for a 49% stake in Scale AI as well as a key researcher position in the Meta research lab to create AI. Other key researchers, such as Jack Rae and Johan Schalkwyk from Google Deepmind and Sesame AI Inc., respectively, have been offered similar salary packages in order to convince them to join Meta. With these high-profile hires, Zuckerberg aims to build more than just another AI system—his vision is a “superintelligence” powerful enough to challenge every major player in the field, including OpenAI
What’s at stake here?
This feud is much more than bragging rights—whoever wins this talent war will likely set the direction of future AI research for the next decade. This includes important features such as safety frameworks, regulatory responses, and overall business models. That’s a heavy responsibility, especially as decisions are increasingly being made behind closed doors.
Not all researchers are choosing between these two corporate giants. A growing number of them are stepping away from Big Tech in pursuit of non-profit and think tank work surrounding AI governance. These researchers are trying to get away from the profit-driven race that these companies are trying to compete in and seek slower and more transparent environments. Some of these organizations include Anthropic, Center for AI Safety, and the Distributed AI Research Institutes—groups that prioritize ethical alignment and transparency. AI researchers have even publicly voiced out concerns on platforms like Instagram and X, announcing career pivots away from “black box models” in hopes of creating AI that prioritizes public and ethical oversight.
For now, Altman has assured the public that everything is under control and no researchers are leaving. But, as the money continues to pile up and nine-figure deals reach the table, loyalty is bound to break.