Meta’s AI talent war raises questions about strategy
Mark Zuckerberg and Meta are spending billions to recruit top artificial intelligence talent, triggering debates about whether the aggressive hiring spree will pay off in the competitive generative AI race. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently complained that Meta has offered $100 million bonuses to lure engineers away from his company, where they would join teams already earning substantial salaries.
Meta's recruitment drive has also landed Scale AI founder and former CEO Alexandr Wang, a Silicon Valley rising star, who will lead a new group called Meta Superintelligence Labs. Meta paid more than $14 billion for a 49 percent stake in Scale AI in mid-June, bringing Wang aboard as part of the acquisition. Scale AI specializes in labeling data to train AI models for businesses, governments, and research labs.
While Meta's stock price approaches record highs and the company's valuation nears $2 trillion, some investors are growing concerned. Meta executives envision using AI to streamline advertising from creation to targeting, potentially bypassing creative agencies and offering brands a complete solution.
