The race for dominance in artificial intelligence is intensifying. Meta, under the leadership of Mark Zuckerberg, has attempted to lure top engineers from OpenAI with signing bonuses reportedly reaching $100 million. The claim was made by OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, who described Meta’s aggressive approach toward poaching his team though, according to him, none of the key staff members have accepted the offer thus far.
Altman emphasized that Meta’s recruitment efforts have been unsuccessful, but openly criticized the company, stating that while he respects their competitiveness and willingness to experiment, he does not see them as a truly innovative force in the AI field.
Amid rising tensions between the two tech giants, reports have emerged suggesting that Zuckerberg is personally assembling a new team focused on developing “superintelligent” systems capable of surpassing human abilities. According to outlets like Bloomberg and The New York Times, the young billionaire has gone so far as to redesign the layout of Meta’s Menlo Park headquarters to locate the new team near his own office, and has even hosted experts at his private residence.
Last week, Meta announced a $14.3 billion investment to acquire a 49% stake in Scale AI, the U.S.-based company founded and led by 28-year-old CEO Alexandr Wang. As part of the deal, several Scale AI employees will join the social media giant, bolstering its ambitions in the intelligent technology sector.
In recent years, Zuckerberg has steadily intensified efforts to reposition his multinational company as a major player in the AI landscape, though with mixed results. His determination has only grown in response to OpenAI’s rapid progress and massive funding rounds, which have cemented its role as a leading innovator in the field.
In this highly competitive environment, Meta is relying on a dual strategy of targeted investments and aggressive talent acquisition to strengthen its foothold in the algorithm-driven market, aiming to keep pace with rivals like OpenAI and remain relevant in the race for technological supremacy.
