OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has revealed that Meta attempted to lure top talent from his company with bonus offers and salaries worth as much as $100 million, as the race to dominate the artificial intelligence landscape intensifies.
Speaking on the “Uncapped with Jack Altman” podcast released on Tuesday, the ChatGPT-maker’s chief said Meta — parent company of Facebook — made sweeping offers to several key OpenAI personnel in an aggressive poaching attempt that ultimately failed.
“They offered a lot of people on our team massive compensation packages — some in the $100 million-plus range,” Altman said. “It’s crazy. I’m really happy that, at least so far, none of our best people have accepted.”
Meta has not publicly responded to the claims.
The revelation comes as Meta accelerates its investment in AI development.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg disclosed in January that the company plans to invest no less than $60 billion this year alone, reinforcing its ambition to lead the global AI race alongside competitors like OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft.
Just last week, Meta inked a deal worth over $10 billion with Scale AI, a data-labeling company crucial to training large AI models.
As part of that arrangement, Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang is set to join Meta’s efforts, particularly those focused on achieving artificial general intelligence, or “superintelligence.”
Despite the financial firepower Meta is deploying, Altman was skeptical about the effectiveness of its strategy.
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“The idea that guaranteed, upfront mega-compensation is the reason to join a company — I don’t think that sets up a great culture,” he said. “I also think OpenAI has a much better shot at delivering on superintelligence.”
While acknowledging Meta’s strengths, Altman offered a pointed critique: “There’s a lot I respect about Meta, but I don’t think they’re great at innovation.”
The high-stakes talent war underscores the growing pressure on tech giants to secure the best minds as AI becomes central to the next wave of technological transformation.
Meta’s overtures, including reported nine-figure salary packages to Scale AI executives, reflect just how fierce — and costly — that battle has become.