Meta has been aggressively hiring AI talent in recent months, shaking up the industry. Reports suggest the company has offered packages worth more than $100 million, with some as high as $200 million, to draw researchers from competitors like OpenAI, DeepMind and Apple.
At the centre of this push is Meta’s newly formed Superintelligence Labs. The division is headed by Alexandr Wang, former CEO of Scale AI, and Nat Friedman, the ex-chief of GitHub. It was created after Meta’s Llama models, released in April, failed to generate much excitement.
The recruits include former OpenAI staffers Shengjia Zhao, Shuchao Bi, Jiahui Yu and Hongyu Ren, along with Apple’s Ruoming Pang, who previously led its foundational model work. Unconfirmed reports suggest Pang’s package at Meta exceeds the salary of Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook.
Hassabis: ‘Meta right now are not at the frontier’
DeepMind cofounder and CEO Demis Hassabis has been outspoken about Meta’s tactics. Speaking on the Lex Fridman podcast, he said: “Meta right now are not at the frontier. Maybe they’ll manage to get back there. And it’s probably rational, what they’re doing from their perspective—because they’re behind and they need to do something.”
Hassabis argued that the best researchers are not solely motivated by large salaries. “There’s a strategy that Meta is taking right now… I think the people that are real believers in the mission of AGI and what it can do—and understand the consequences, both good and bad—are mostly doing it to be at the frontier, so they can help influence how that plays out and steward the technology safely into the world.”
He added, “But I think there are more important things than just money. Of course, one has to pay people market rates—and those continue to go up.”
Reflecting on how far the sector has shifted since DeepMind’s beginnings in 2010, Hassabis said, “We couldn’t raise any money. I didn’t pay myself for a couple of years. And these days, interns are being paid what we raised as our entire first seed round.”
Sam Altman’s sharp response
OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman has criticised Zuckerberg’s approach, calling it “mafioso poaching style.” He added, “Winning is fun and I expect to win.”
Altman also remarked, “I mean, you know, they want to get into the AI game. I understand it. So, and if he's going to do this, he needs to hire some people. So, bring it.”
The mission divide
Others in the field share Hassabis’s concerns. Benjamin Mann, cofounder of Anthropic, said his company has been “much less affected” by Meta’s recruitment drive because its scientists are motivated by something deeper.
“My best case at Anthropic is we affect the future of humanity,” Mann said. “My best case at Meta is we make money.”
Rising pay across the board
The battle for talent is taking place against a backdrop of skyrocketing salaries. According to federal visa filings, OpenAI pays its technical staff an average of $292,115, with top positions earning $530,000. Anthropic pays an average of $387,500, with some roles reaching $690,000. Mira Murati’s new venture Thinking Machines Lab is reportedly offering up to $500,000.
These figures are a far cry from DeepMind’s early years. As Hassabis noted, “I didn’t pay myself for a couple of years because there wasn’t enough money.” Now, even interns are earning more than DeepMind’s original seed funding.
What it means for the AI race
Meta’s strategy is straightforward: spend heavily, attract the brightest minds and close the gap on OpenAI, DeepMind and Anthropic. The early results are clear. Dozens of researchers have already joined, and Zuckerberg’s direct involvement signals how central AI is to the company’s future.
Whether this spending spree delivers breakthroughs remains uncertain. Hassabis insists the scientists who shape the future of artificial general intelligence will be those motivated by more than money. Altman has framed the rivalry as a fight he intends to win. Mann believes only mission-driven labs can truly influence humanity’s future.
The talent war has become a test not only of budgets but of values.
At the centre of this push is Meta’s newly formed Superintelligence Labs. The division is headed by Alexandr Wang, former CEO of Scale AI, and Nat Friedman, the ex-chief of GitHub. It was created after Meta’s Llama models, released in April, failed to generate much excitement.
The recruits include former OpenAI staffers Shengjia Zhao, Shuchao Bi, Jiahui Yu and Hongyu Ren, along with Apple’s Ruoming Pang, who previously led its foundational model work. Unconfirmed reports suggest Pang’s package at Meta exceeds the salary of Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook.
Hassabis: ‘Meta right now are not at the frontier’
DeepMind cofounder and CEO Demis Hassabis has been outspoken about Meta’s tactics. Speaking on the Lex Fridman podcast, he said: “Meta right now are not at the frontier. Maybe they’ll manage to get back there. And it’s probably rational, what they’re doing from their perspective—because they’re behind and they need to do something.”
Hassabis argued that the best researchers are not solely motivated by large salaries. “There’s a strategy that Meta is taking right now… I think the people that are real believers in the mission of AGI and what it can do—and understand the consequences, both good and bad—are mostly doing it to be at the frontier, so they can help influence how that plays out and steward the technology safely into the world.”
He added, “But I think there are more important things than just money. Of course, one has to pay people market rates—and those continue to go up.”
Reflecting on how far the sector has shifted since DeepMind’s beginnings in 2010, Hassabis said, “We couldn’t raise any money. I didn’t pay myself for a couple of years. And these days, interns are being paid what we raised as our entire first seed round.”
Sam Altman’s sharp response
OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman has criticised Zuckerberg’s approach, calling it “mafioso poaching style.” He added, “Winning is fun and I expect to win.”
Altman also remarked, “I mean, you know, they want to get into the AI game. I understand it. So, and if he's going to do this, he needs to hire some people. So, bring it.”
The mission divide
Others in the field share Hassabis’s concerns. Benjamin Mann, cofounder of Anthropic, said his company has been “much less affected” by Meta’s recruitment drive because its scientists are motivated by something deeper.
“My best case at Anthropic is we affect the future of humanity,” Mann said. “My best case at Meta is we make money.”
Rising pay across the board
The battle for talent is taking place against a backdrop of skyrocketing salaries. According to federal visa filings, OpenAI pays its technical staff an average of $292,115, with top positions earning $530,000. Anthropic pays an average of $387,500, with some roles reaching $690,000. Mira Murati’s new venture Thinking Machines Lab is reportedly offering up to $500,000.
These figures are a far cry from DeepMind’s early years. As Hassabis noted, “I didn’t pay myself for a couple of years because there wasn’t enough money.” Now, even interns are earning more than DeepMind’s original seed funding.
What it means for the AI race
Meta’s strategy is straightforward: spend heavily, attract the brightest minds and close the gap on OpenAI, DeepMind and Anthropic. The early results are clear. Dozens of researchers have already joined, and Zuckerberg’s direct involvement signals how central AI is to the company’s future.
Whether this spending spree delivers breakthroughs remains uncertain. Hassabis insists the scientists who shape the future of artificial general intelligence will be those motivated by more than money. Altman has framed the rivalry as a fight he intends to win. Mann believes only mission-driven labs can truly influence humanity’s future.
The talent war has become a test not only of budgets but of values.
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