The competitive landscape among tech giants is intensifying, with companies fiercely vying for dominance. OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, accused Meta of trying to poach OpenAI employees by offering significant financial packages. The alleged offer was around $100 million to entice employees to switch companies.
This situation exemplifies the extreme measures companies are willing to take to gain an edge. Meta is currently trailing OpenAI and Google in the AI domain, a fact that reportedly concerns Mark Zuckerberg. Consequently, Meta seems to have initiated a talent acquisition drive, utilizing financial incentives to attract employees from its competitors and boost its AI capabilities. This strategy seems to be yielding results, as Meta has reportedly hired three OpenAI employees.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Meta hired Alexander Kolesnikov, Lucas Beyer, and Xiaohua Zhai, all senior researchers, from OpenAI’s Zurich office. Media outlets quote Sam Altman’s statement from last week: “I’ve heard that Meta considers us their biggest competitor.” The recent hires by Meta seem to validate this assessment.
Meta’s actions suggest an effort to build a formidable super intelligence team. Previously a leader in open-source AI, Meta has faced setbacks, including project delays resulting from employee attrition. Now, Zuckerberg is making a concerted effort to acquire top talent.