Meta's recruiting blitz claims three OpenAI researchers
In Brief
In the fight for top AI talent, Meta just reportedly snagged a win, poaching three OpenAI researchers despite Sam Altman's public mockery of Mark Zuckerberg's lavish hiring tactics.
The latest victory in Zuckerberg's widely-reported recruiting blitz: Lucas Beyer, Alexander Kolesnikov, and Xiaohua Zhai – who established OpenAI's Zurich office – have joined Meta's superintelligence team, the WSJ reports, proving Zuckerberg's tactics can deliver results.
As OpenAI CEO Sam Altman first revealed in a recent podcast with his brother, Jack Altman, Zuckerberg has been dangling $100+ million compensation packages in an effort to lure top talent from OpenAI. The Journal subsequently reported that Zuckerberg has been personally WhatsApping hundreds of top AI researchers, coordinating targets through his 'Recruiting Party 🎉' chat before hosting dinners at his homes in Palo Alto and Lake Tahoe.
The strategy is producing mixed results. Zuckerberg recently bagged Scale AI's CEO Alexandr Wang with a $14 billion investment, making the 28-year-old one of tech's priciest hires ever. But bigger game has eluded the Meta CEO, says the WSJ, including OpenAI co-founders Ilya Sutskever and John Schulman, both of whom have gone one to co-found newer startups.
In that podcast, Altman said of Zuckerberg's charm campaign: 'I'm really happy that, at least so far, none of our best people have decided to take him up on [those offers].'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
SFNet Releases Q1 2025 Asset-Based Lending and Confidence Indexes
Quarterly Survey Finds Slipping Confidence Among Bank and Non-Bank Lenders NEW YORK, June 26, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Secured Finance Network (SFNet) recently released its Q1 2025 Asset-Based Lending Index and Lender Confidence Index, offering a snapshot of how the industry weathered recent trade policy volatility during the first quarter of this year. According to the Q1 index, both bank and non-bank lenders saw lender confidence fall to neutral territory. The confidence of banks dropped 14.1 points to 49.1, while non-banks slid 12.5 points to 52.5, a sizable decline that is comparable to the drop in confidence in the first quarter of 2020. "Substantial changes in trade policy have played a pivotal role in shaping U.S. economic activity in early 2025, and the resulting distortions have complicated efforts to clearly assess the economy's true performance," said SFNet CEO Rich Gumbrecht. The first quarter of 2025 was a relatively quiet one for banks and non-banks: Total commitments for banks fell 1.7%; total commitments for non-banks fell 2.2% New outstandings for banks rose 9.8%; new outstandings for non-banks plunged 57.4% "New outstandings" refers to new amounts of money that a borrower has drawn or borrowed under the ABL facility during a specific period. The sharp difference between outstandings for banks and non-banks stems from the timing of when new deals will be available in the non-bank world, and many rely on deals from banks which didn't materialize. Bank portfolio performance was mixed in the first quarter. Non-accruals rose but remained within their historical range and write-offs were muted, but criticized loans – which have elevated credit risk – as a share of outstandings edged down 180 basis points. Credit performance within the ABL industry has typically been strong and is slowly returning to pre-pandemic levels. Non-bank portfolio performance was mostly stable. Criticized loans and non-accruals climbed higher but write-offs improved, declining as a share of outstandings. "Although signs point to a slowdown in economic activity and ABL lenders expect both business conditions and portfolio performance to decline, the industry's strong historical performance during past downturns provides confidence that lenders are well-prepared to navigate potential challenges ahead," said Gumbrecht. The Q1 2025 Asset-Based Lending Index and Lender Confidence Index are based on survey data from leading bank and non-bank lenders. Full quarterly and annual data reports are available at: SFNet Asset-Based Lending & Factoring Surveys. About Secured Finance Network Founded in 1944, the Secured Finance Network (formerly Commercial Finance Association) is an international trade association connecting the interests of companies and professionals who deliver and enable secured financing to businesses. With more than 1,000 member organizations throughout the US, Europe, Canada and around the world, SFNet brings together the people, data, knowledge, tools and insights that put capital to work. For more information, please visit View source version on Contacts Media:Emily Dattiloedattilo@
Bloomberg
29 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Meta Inks More Clean Energy Deals with Developer Invenergy
Meta Platforms Inc. signed four contracts with closely held renewable energy developer Invenergy for wind and solar power as part of the Facebook-owner's push to secure clean sources of electricity for its operations and data centers. The agreements involve projects in three US states with a total capacity of 791 megawatts, the companies said in a statement. The electricity will supply local power grids while Meta will get the clean energy credits tied to the new generation.
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
This New ETF Promises to Help You Invest Like Warren Buffett and Yields 15%
Warren Buffett's value-driven investment strategy has long been admired by both Wall Street professionals and everyday investors. Buffett's disciplined approach has consistently outperformed the market, even as economic cycles shift and market sentiment wavers. As inflationary pressures and interest rate uncertainty continue to rattle the S&P 500 Index ($SPX), investors are increasingly turning to Berkshire Hathaway's (BRK.B) Class B shares for stability. These shares have surged 7% year-to-date (YTD), significantly outperforming the broader market. Yet for all of Berkshire's strengths, one thing it has never offered is a dividend, leaving income-focused investors on the sidelines. That's changing with the arrival of the VistaShares Target 15 Berkshire Select Income ETF (OMAH), a new exchange-traded fund launched in March 2025. OMAH not only holds Berkshire Hathaway shares but also invests in a curated selection of stocks from Buffett's own portfolio. With OMAH already attracting more than $275 million in assets under management (AUM), investors are clearly taking notice. This New ETF Promises to Help You Invest Like Warren Buffett and Yields 15% 3 Dirt-Cheap Dividend Aristocrats About to Explode Higher Buy These 3 High-Yield Dividend Stocks for Portfolio Protection Amid Israel-Iran Conflict Get exclusive insights with the FREE Barchart Brief newsletter. Subscribe now for quick, incisive midday market analysis you won't find anywhere else. The VistaShares Target 15 Berkshire Select Income ETF gives investors a straightforward way to follow Warren Buffett's well-known investing style while aiming for a strong 15% yearly payout. The latest payout was $0.24 per share, which works out to an annual yield that's hard to find elsewhere. The fund's 30-day SEC yield is 0.69% while the yearly dividend is $0.73 per share, or a 3.83% annual yield. OMAH maintains this by putting money into the 20 biggest stocks in Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio, along with direct investments in Berkshire itself. The fund also uses an options strategy to help keep income coming in regularly. The fund's portfolio includes 73 holdings total, each chosen to match Buffett's approach. The top 10 make up a large part of the fund, including Apple (AAPL) at 10.5%, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) at 9.76%, and American Express (AXP) at 8.74%. Other major allocations include Coca-Cola (KO) at 6.03%, Bank of America (BAC) at 5.57%, Occidental Petroleum (OXY) at 4.94%, Chevron (CVX) at 4.99%, Kroger (KR) at 4.87%, VeriSign (VRSN) at 4.61%, and Chubb (CB) at 4.5%. This lineup allows investors a simple way to have pieces of the same companies Buffett owns, all in one fund. Despite a solid setup, OMAH's price has remained relatively stable since its launch. OMAH is down 3.2% over the last three months. It's also down 1.8% in the past month. This kind of movement is pretty normal for new funds that use options to boost income. That said, OMAH has quickly built up a strong presence, holding $276.7 million in assets as of June 22, with 14.5 million shares on the market. Its 30-day median bid-ask spread is just 0.05%, which means it's easy to trade and there's plenty of interest from buyers and sellers. All of this comes with an expense ratio of 0.95%. While this is higher than what you'd pay for a basic index fund, it's in-line with other funds that use active management and options, and it covers the work needed to meet OMAH's income and growth goals. The way different market factors are coming together right now puts OMAH in a strong spot to deliver on its goal of a 15% yearly payout. As markets deal with more ups and downs and more investors look for ways to earn steady income, OMAH's approach fits well with what people want today — and could help it do even better in the near future. The fund's launch in March 2025 lined up well with a stretch when options-based income strategies started to shine. The S&P 500 has seen big swings this year, from a high of $6,147 in February to a low of $4,835 in April. This has made it a good time to collect options premiums. OMAH's options strategy is built for this kind of market, letting the fund earn extra income from selling covered calls while still holding onto its main stocks that follow the Berkshire model. Across the ETF world, more money is flowing into funds that use covered calls and other income strategies. U.S. derivative income funds brought in over $6 billion in May, the biggest monthly increase ever. Investors clearly want protection from losses and regular payouts. Experts point out that covered-call funds often do better than regular stock funds when markets are flat or only moving up a little because they collect income from selling options. With OMAH's focus on writing covered calls on a tight group of Buffett-backed stocks, the fund is set up to collect option premiums that can help smooth out market bumps and boost overall returns. If you're looking for a way to tap into Warren Buffett's legendary investing approach while pocketing a steady stream of high-yield income, OMAH brings something genuinely fresh to the table. With its blend of blue-chip Berkshire-inspired holdings and a data-driven options strategy targeting a 15% annual distribution, this ETF is engineered for both resilience and reward, even in today's unpredictable market. For investors who want to 'invest like Buffett' but also crave monthly cash flow, OMAH is a modern solution that makes classic value investing feel brand new. On the date of publication, Ebube Jones did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
