Sam Altman Says Meta Tried to Lure OpenAI Staff with 100M USD Bonuses

• Sam Altman says Meta offered 100M USD bonuses to lure OpenAI engineers - but no one left
• Meta's 100M USD talent grabs fall flat as OpenAI's mission keeps top AI minds loyal
• Altman slams Meta's big-money hiring spree, says OpenAI's vision beats billion-dollar bait

In a heated race for AI dominance, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed that Meta Platforms Inc. has offered staggering $100 million signing bonuses to lure OpenAI engineers, alongside even larger annual compensation packages. Speaking on the "Uncapped" podcast, hosted by his brother Jack Altman and aired on June 17, 2025, Altman described Meta's offers as "crazy" but noted that none of OpenAI’s top talent have accepted them so far. "People look at the two paths and say, 'OpenAI’s got a really good shot at delivering superintelligence," Altman said, suggesting that mission-driven innovation outweighs financial incentives.

Meta, led by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is ramping up its new “superintelligence” division to compete in the AI race. Last week, the company poured $14.3 billion into Scale AI, a data-labeling startup, and hired its CEO, Alexandr Wang, to lead the charge. This move comes as Meta tries to keep up with rivals like OpenAI, Google, and China’s DeepSeek after facing challenges with its open-source AI models and losing key researchers.

The competition for AI talent is intense, with top engineers being courted like star athletes. Industry reports show Anthropic retains 80% of its staff over two years, while Meta struggles to hold onto its researchers, many of whom have jumped ship to companies like OpenAI. Altman criticized Meta’s approach, arguing that throwing huge sums at talent can backfire by hurting a company’s creative culture. "You’re always going to where your competitor was," he said, highlighting OpenAI’s focus on fostering innovation.

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Meta didn’t respond to requests for comment, and Reuters couldn’t independently confirm Altman’s claims. Meanwhile, OpenAI continues to draw top talent, recently snapping up Jony Ive’s AI startup in a $6.4 billion deal. As the AI race heats up, Meta’s big-money strategy may test the loyalty of researchers, but for now, OpenAI’s vision seems to be winning out.