The race for top AI researchers is hotter than ever, and Meta isn’t holding back. Word on the street is that some candidates have been offered $100 million just to sign on, plus seven-figure annual salaries—moves clearly aimed at poaching talent from rivals like OpenAI. While it’s still uncertain if any of OpenAI’s stars have taken the plunge, Meta has already enticed a principal researcher from Google DeepMind and a machine-learning lead from voice-AI startup Sesame.
A Tepid Welcome for Llama 4
Meta rolled out Llama 4 last quarter, only to find the developer community lukewarm. That’s put the company on the back foot and added pressure to prove it can keep pace in generative AI. Early buzz matters more than ever—get it right, and you’re hailed as the next big thing; stumble, and you’re left playing catch-up.
Building a “Superintelligence” Squad
To close the gap, Zuckerberg is reportedly hand-picking a 50-person “Superintelligence” team and eyeing up to $15 billion for a 49 percent stake in ScaleAI. The goal: bulk up research horsepower and maybe woo ScaleAI’s CEO into Meta’s fold. It’s ambitious—and raises the classic question of scale versus creativity. Can you maintain a startup spirit inside a massive organization?
Keeping Stars on Board
Yet even with these blockbuster offers, keeping talent around is tough. Meta’s two-year retention rate is about 64 percent, well below competitors like Anthropic at 80 percent. It’s a reminder that big paychecks alone don’t build loyalty—purpose and culture matter just as much, if not more.
An Incentives Arms Race
Meta isn’t alone in this scramble. Google DeepMind has been paying sidelined researchers full salary for up to a year to prevent rival moves, while OpenAI reportedly dangles $2 million retention bonuses and equity packages exceeding $20 million. Meanwhile, fresh startups—like the one Ilya Sutskever is rumored to be starting—keep the talent market unpredictable.
Where Are the Juniors?
Amid all the mega-deals, junior engineers are finding the door nearly shut. Last year, new grads accounted for only 7 percent of Big Tech hires—a 25 percent drop from 2023 and less than half of pre-pandemic levels. Startups aren’t much better off, with under 6 percent of hires coming straight out of college. Without that early-career pipeline, who will drive the next wave of breakthroughs?
A Deepening Divide
In effect, the AI industry is splitting into two tiers: a tiny group of superstar researchers with pro-athlete-style contracts and a broad base of young talent getting squeezed out. As this incentives race intensifies, companies risk hoarding a few geniuses but lacking the wider teams needed to turn cutting-edge research into real-world products. Moving forward, the biggest challenge may be crafting a balanced strategy—one that rewards today’s leaders while investing in tomorrow’s innovators.