- Added Candela’s statement
- Added SSI rumors
Update from July 6, 2025:
OpenAI’s Head of Recruiting Joaquin Quiñonero Candela called out Meta on X for its aggressive recruiting tactics. According to Candela, Meta has been making high-paying job offers to OpenAI employees that expire after just a few hours, leaving candidates little time to consult with their managers. He called the approach “unethical” and said it “reeks of desperation.
“Speed is fine, I get it. Weaponizing a deadline isn’t,” Candela wrote. He later walked back the word “unethical,” saying he did not want to sound morally superior.
Update as of June 20, 2025:
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg bets billions not to fall behind in the AI race
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been recruiting talent not just from OpenAI, but also from Safe Superintelligence (SSI), the startup launched by OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever. According to CNBC, which cites sources familiar with the matter, SSI was actually on Zuckerberg’s acquisition list. In April, SSI was valued at $32 billion.
Sutskever turned down both Meta’s buyout offer and a personal pitch from Zuckerberg, CNBC reports. After that, Zuckerberg reached out to SSI CEO and co-founder Daniel Gross, as well as GitHub CEO Nat Friedman. Both are set to join Meta and work alongside Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang, whom Zuckerberg brought on board with other engineers for around $15 billion. Meta now owns a 49 percent stake in the company.
A Meta spokesperson told CNBC that the company plans to share more details about its superintelligence program and new team members in the coming weeks.
Original article from June 18, 2025:
Sam Altman claims that Meta offers $100 million signing bonuses to OpenAI researchers
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is reportedly offering OpenAI researchers signing bonuses of up to $100 million and even higher annual salaries as part of a major recruitment push.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman criticized these tactics on the “Uncapped” podcast with his brother Jack Altman, saying that such offers ultimately undermine Meta’s company culture. Altman argued that Meta puts too much focus on money instead of mission and meaningful work, and noted that no one at OpenAI has accepted the offers so far. He also said Meta’s previous AI projects have not lived up to expectations and described the company as not especially innovative.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is reportedly now personally recruiting researchers for a superintelligence team. A key part of this strategy is an acqui-hire of Scale AI, the data labeling and infrastructure company, for nearly $15 billion.
