Meta Targets Top AI Talent with Billion-Dollar Offers
Meta is aggressively expanding its artificial intelligence capabilities, specifically targeting top talent for its newly formed Superintelligence Labs. This initiative has seen the company approach numerous employees from rival AI startups, including Mira Murati’s Thinking Machines Lab, with highly lucrative offers.
Mira Murati, the former Chief Technology Officer of OpenAI, launched Thinking Machines Lab in February 2025. This startup, which aims to make AI systems more widely understood, customizable, and generally capable, has quickly garnered significant attention, reaching an estimated valuation of $12 billion after a $2 billion seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz and including investors like Nvidia and AMD. Thinking Machines Lab has also attracted a team of about 30 leading researchers and engineers from competitors, including former OpenAI co-founder John Schulman.
Meta’s recruitment drive for its Superintelligence Labs is part of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s personal commitment to positioning Meta at the forefront of AI development. Zuckerberg has publicly stated Meta’s intention to “invest hundreds of billions of dollars into compute to build superintelligence.” This aggressive strategy includes offering substantial compensation packages, with some reports indicating offers reaching into the nine-figure range, and even one offer exceeding $1 billion. However, Zuckerberg himself has called reports of $100-200 million annual pay packages “inaccurate” while acknowledging the highly competitive nature of the AI talent market.
The Superintelligence Labs, operating separately from Meta’s original AI research unit, FAIR, are tasked with developing AI models that can outperform humans across a wide range of tasks. Meta has successfully recruited key researchers from other prominent AI companies such as OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Apple. Notable hires include Shengjia Zhao, a co-creator of ChatGPT and former OpenAI lead scientist, who will serve as Chief Scientist of Superintelligence Labs, and Alexandr Wang, founder of Scale AI, who has joined as Meta’s Chief AI Officer following a significant investment in his company.
This intense talent acquisition campaign has led to a “visceral feeling” among some competitors, with OpenAI’s Chief Research Officer, Mark Chen, likening Meta’s actions to a “burglary.” Companies are responding by adjusting compensation and exploring ways to retain their top talent. The high demand for AI talent has also driven up overall AI budgets, with salary costs being a significant barrier for many companies seeking to fill AI roles. Meta’s strategic shift and substantial investment highlight the escalating “AI arms race” as tech giants vie for leadership in the development of artificial general intelligence.