OpenAI boss Sam Altman has revealed that his staff are being tempted by huge job offers from rival tech giant Meta.
Speaking on a podcast hosted by his brother Jack, Altman said Meta has offered some team members “giant” signing bonuses of up to $100 million.
Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, is heavily investing in artificial intelligence (AI), recently spending $14 billion to buy 49% of Scale AI.
Altman admitted that Meta is being aggressive in its approach but claimed none of his top staff have accepted offers yet.
Meta has not responded to BBC News’ request for comment on the claims.
Tech expert Indranil Bandyopadhyay said these figures show how highly skilled AI talent is being valued across the tech world.
He described the situation as a “high-risk, high-reward gamble” as companies fight for a limited number of elite researchers and engineers.
Altman believes OpenAI’s unique culture and mission to build superintelligent AI keeps staff loyal, despite Meta offering higher pay.
He also questioned Meta’s ability to innovate, saying he respects the company but doesn’t see it as a leader in creativity.
OpenAI recently announced a plan to spend $500 billion on new US data centres to power future AI systems.
Edward Keelan from Octopus Ventures said the rush to invest shows belief in AI’s power to transform business.
The battle for AI dominance is heating up, with big egos and big money shaping the future of the tech industry.
