OpenAI CEO Says Meta Tried Poaching ChatGPT Engineers With $100M Bonuses (the-independent.com)
(Saturday July 19, 2025 @11:34AM (EditorDavid)
from the silly-salaries dept.)
- Reference: 0178415846
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/07/19/0612203/openai-ceo-says-meta-tried-poaching-chatgpt-engineers-with-100m-bonuses
- Source link: https://www.the-independent.com/tech/zuckerberg-chatgpt-ai-meta-openai-altman-b2772120.html
The Independent [1]notes a remarkable-if-true figure that's being bandied around this week.
Meta "started making these, like, giant offers to a lot of people on our team," OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told his brother Jack [2]on his podcast . "You know, like, $100 million signing bonuses, more than that [in] compensation per year... I'm really happy that, at least so far, none of our best people have decided to take him up on that."
> Previous reports have also suggested that Meta is targeting employees at Google DeepMind, offering similar levels of compensation. Some of these efforts appear to have been successful, with DeepMind researcher Jack Rae joining Meta's 'Superintelligence' team earlier this month...
>
> During the podcast, which was published on Tuesday, Mr Altman also gave details about future AI products that OpenAI is hoping to build, claiming that they will enable "crazy new social experiences" and "virtual employees". The most important breakthrough over the next decade, he said, would involve radical new discoveries powered by AI. "The thing that I think will be the most impactful in that five-to-10 year timeframe is AI will actually discover new science," he said.
[3]The Washington Post notes that Zuckerberg "responded to recent reports of his compensation offers in [4]an interview posted by the Information on YouTube on Tuesday, saying that 'a lot of the numbers specifically have been inaccurate" but acknowledging there is "an absolute premium for the best and most talented people."
> Zuckerberg's recent hires and other comments this week suggest he's not taking any chances of being left behind. He announced plans for a giant data center campus large enough to obscure Manhattan to power future AI projects by his superintelligence team.
[1] https://www.the-independent.com/tech/zuckerberg-chatgpt-ai-meta-openai-altman-b2772120.html
[2] https://youtu.be/mZUG0pr5hBo
[3] https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/why-ai-superathletes-could-be-winning-100-million-bonuses-in-silicon-valley/ar-AA1IHNgr
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDDOy90V4Jo
Meta "started making these, like, giant offers to a lot of people on our team," OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told his brother Jack [2]on his podcast . "You know, like, $100 million signing bonuses, more than that [in] compensation per year... I'm really happy that, at least so far, none of our best people have decided to take him up on that."
> Previous reports have also suggested that Meta is targeting employees at Google DeepMind, offering similar levels of compensation. Some of these efforts appear to have been successful, with DeepMind researcher Jack Rae joining Meta's 'Superintelligence' team earlier this month...
>
> During the podcast, which was published on Tuesday, Mr Altman also gave details about future AI products that OpenAI is hoping to build, claiming that they will enable "crazy new social experiences" and "virtual employees". The most important breakthrough over the next decade, he said, would involve radical new discoveries powered by AI. "The thing that I think will be the most impactful in that five-to-10 year timeframe is AI will actually discover new science," he said.
[3]The Washington Post notes that Zuckerberg "responded to recent reports of his compensation offers in [4]an interview posted by the Information on YouTube on Tuesday, saying that 'a lot of the numbers specifically have been inaccurate" but acknowledging there is "an absolute premium for the best and most talented people."
> Zuckerberg's recent hires and other comments this week suggest he's not taking any chances of being left behind. He announced plans for a giant data center campus large enough to obscure Manhattan to power future AI projects by his superintelligence team.
[1] https://www.the-independent.com/tech/zuckerberg-chatgpt-ai-meta-openai-altman-b2772120.html
[2] https://youtu.be/mZUG0pr5hBo
[3] https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/why-ai-superathletes-could-be-winning-100-million-bonuses-in-silicon-valley/ar-AA1IHNgr
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDDOy90V4Jo
Nice to see that kind of money in Science. (Score:2)
by malkavian ( 9512 )
For a long time now, that kind of money has been mainly bandied about in the Sports leagues. Expensive players getting huge signing bonuses to join new teams..
I always wondered what it would take to get that kind of money for the scientists; looks like there's finally something that people really want to spend their cash on.
IT may only be for a short time (after all, anologously to sport, there is likely to be a short window of opportunity for this kind of cash, so you may find it's a short career, but if
I gotta deal yas can't refuze (Score:2)
Thats the kinda money you offer when you don't plan on paying. Condolences in advance to the families of the developers who take that offer due to their unfortunate suicide in a month or two