Mira Murati said no to Mark Zuckerberg proposal, so he launched $1.5 billion war to hire her top engineer
In an unexpected turn of events, however, he chose to decline the said offer. It has been known for a while now that Zuckerberg has taken upon himself to hire top AI talent from across the industry for his Superintelligence dream team, personally reaching out to researchers and engineers such as Tulloch, luring them with hefty pay cheques and eye-watering bonuses. Tulloch's reputation precedes him. He is known for his work in building machine learning systems and for his key role in developing PyTorch, a widely used AI research tool, during his stint at Meta — yes, he previously worked at Meta. His work was so good, even Alexandr Wang, who now leads Meta's Superintelligence Lab, tried to persuade him to return. It would have been a homecoming of sorts. Only Tulloch was in no mood to return, having clearly found his calling elsewhere. And if Twitter chatter is to be believed, he probably also declined the meta offer because he could be holding a significant equity in Thinking Machines Labs, which has already been valued north of $30 billion.A graduate of the University of Sydney with first-class honors and a University Medal in mathematics, Tulloch holds a Master's from Cambridge and is a Ph.D. candidate at UC Berkeley. He worked at Meta from 2012 to 2023, and a year at OpenAI, where he contributed to the pre-training and reasoning models of GPT-4. He cofounded Thinking Machines Lab with Mira Murati in early 2025.Meta's aggressive recruitment drive is not limited to Thinking Machines Lab. The company has been actively trying to poach employees from OpenAI and other AI startups, including Dario Amodei's Anthropic. advertisementThe WSJ report notes that Meta has reached out to more than 100 OpenAI employees and successfully hired at least 10 of them. In a statement, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone called the reported compensation offer to Tulloch "inaccurate and ridiculous," while adding that such packages are dependent on stock performance. (Stone also mentioned that Meta never tried to acquire Thinking Machines.)But while Tulloch refused to take the bait, others like 24-year-old Matt Deitke gave in after Zuckerberg's persistence. According to The New York Times, Deitke initially declined to join Meta at a compensation of $125 million. Zuckerberg apparently sought him out in person, promised to double the package to an astounding $250 million with $100 million guaranteed to be paid upfront within the first year, convincing Dietke to jump ship and get aboard Meta's latest AI blitzkrieg.- EndsTrending Reel
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
21 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Giant Wyoming data center to guzzle 5x more power than residents, but the user remains secret
Wyoming AI data center power consumption: A huge AI data center is planned in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It needs massive power, more than all Wyoming homes use. The center will have its own power source. The user is secret, but some speculate it is OpenAI. Experts think it will house advanced AI hardware. The project could affect Wyoming's energy landscape and utility prices. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Massive AI Data Center's Power Demand to Exceed Wyoming's Residential Power Use Identity of Data Center's End User Remains a Mystery Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Is OpenAI Behind the Project? Experts Predict High-Performance AI Hardware Inside Facility Potential Ripple Effects on Utility Prices and Energy Exports Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads FAQs A massive new AI data center planned for Cheyenne, Wyoming, is making waves, not just because of its massive power requirements, but also due to the mystery surrounding who will actually use it, as per a proposed facility, a joint project between energy company Tallgrass and AI data center developer Crusoe, is expected to start with a power draw of 1.8 gigawatts, with the potential to scale up to 10 gigawatts, as reported by TechRadar. To put that in perspective, that's over five times the electricity used by every household in Wyoming combined, according to the to the huge energy demand, this new data center won't be tapping into the public power grid, as per TechRadar. Instead, the developers will reportedly build a dedicated energy supply, likely a mix of natural gas and renewable sources, to run the facility independently, according to the report. That might ease concerns about local blackouts, but it hasn't quieted all READ: Disney+ cancels Goosebumps series after two seasons: What's next for the horror anthology? Adding intrigue to the project is the complete secrecy about the end user, as per the TechRadar report. While neither Tallgrass nor Crusoe has confirmed who the data center is being built for, speculation is are many speculations that point to OpenAI as the likely tenant as the AI giant has a history with Crusoe, recently teaming up for facility in Texas, described as the 'largest data center' in the world, as reported by TechRadar. That project reportedly draws about a gigawatt of energy, which is part of OpenAI's broader 'Stargate' initiative, according to the has also been public about plans to build several gigawatts of data center capacity in the near future, but has not announced any presence in Wyoming so far, as per the TechRadar report. Crusoe has declined to comment to TechRadar on whether this new Cheyenne project is tied to Stargate or OpenAI at all, fueling more curiosity and speculation, as per the READ: Apple rumored to launch 12.9-inch MacBook this year at a price that will shock you - here are the details What is known is that this facility will likely house some of the most advanced AI hardware as industry experts expect it to house the fastest CPUs available, possibly in dense, rack-mounted workstation configurations optimized for deep learning and model training, as reported by to the report, these systems are power-hungry due to the design because each server node is capable of handling massive workloads that demand sustained cooling and uninterrupted READ: Texas AI centers guzzle 463 million gallons, now residents are asked to cut back on showers While Wyoming state officials have welcomed the project, touting its potential to support local industries, especially natural gas, but others are raising red flags, as per the TechRadar if the facility powers itself, experts warn it could impact the broader energy landscape, as per the report. There are concerns that residents of Wyoming and its locality could face higher utility costs, especially if local supply chains or pricing models are indirectly affected, and even Wyoming's identity as a major energy exporter could be tested if more such facilities emerge, as per the TechRadar one knows for sure yet. The companies involved haven't named the client, but many believe it could be not directly. The facility will have its own energy supply, separate from the public grid.
Time of India
36 minutes ago
- Time of India
Giant Wyoming data center to guzzle 5x more power than residents, but the user remains secret
Wyoming AI data center power consumption: A huge AI data center is planned in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It needs massive power, more than all Wyoming homes use. The center will have its own power source. The user is secret, but some speculate it is OpenAI. Experts think it will house advanced AI hardware. The project could affect Wyoming's energy landscape and utility prices. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Massive AI Data Center's Power Demand to Exceed Wyoming's Residential Power Use Identity of Data Center's End User Remains a Mystery Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Is OpenAI Behind the Project? Experts Predict High-Performance AI Hardware Inside Facility Potential Ripple Effects on Utility Prices and Energy Exports Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads FAQs A massive new AI data center planned for Cheyenne, Wyoming, is making waves, not just because of its massive power requirements, but also due to the mystery surrounding who will actually use it, as per a proposed facility, a joint project between energy company Tallgrass and AI data center developer Crusoe, is expected to start with a power draw of 1.8 gigawatts, with the potential to scale up to 10 gigawatts, as reported by TechRadar. To put that in perspective, that's over five times the electricity used by every household in Wyoming combined, according to the to the huge energy demand, this new data center won't be tapping into the public power grid, as per TechRadar. Instead, the developers will reportedly build a dedicated energy supply, likely a mix of natural gas and renewable sources, to run the facility independently, according to the report. That might ease concerns about local blackouts, but it hasn't quieted all READ: Disney+ cancels Goosebumps series after two seasons: What's next for the horror anthology? Adding intrigue to the project is the complete secrecy about the end user, as per the TechRadar report. While neither Tallgrass nor Crusoe has confirmed who the data center is being built for, speculation is are many speculations that point to OpenAI as the likely tenant as the AI giant has a history with Crusoe, recently teaming up for facility in Texas, described as the 'largest data center' in the world, as reported by TechRadar. That project reportedly draws about a gigawatt of energy, which is part of OpenAI's broader 'Stargate' initiative, according to the has also been public about plans to build several gigawatts of data center capacity in the near future, but has not announced any presence in Wyoming so far, as per the TechRadar report. Crusoe has declined to comment to TechRadar on whether this new Cheyenne project is tied to Stargate or OpenAI at all, fueling more curiosity and speculation, as per the READ: Apple rumored to launch 12.9-inch MacBook this year at a price that will shock you - here are the details What is known is that this facility will likely house some of the most advanced AI hardware as industry experts expect it to house the fastest CPUs available, possibly in dense, rack-mounted workstation configurations optimized for deep learning and model training, as reported by to the report, these systems are power-hungry due to the design because each server node is capable of handling massive workloads that demand sustained cooling and uninterrupted READ: Texas AI centers guzzle 463 million gallons, now residents are asked to cut back on showers While Wyoming state officials have welcomed the project, touting its potential to support local industries, especially natural gas, but others are raising red flags, as per the TechRadar if the facility powers itself, experts warn it could impact the broader energy landscape, as per the report. There are concerns that residents of Wyoming and its locality could face higher utility costs, especially if local supply chains or pricing models are indirectly affected, and even Wyoming's identity as a major energy exporter could be tested if more such facilities emerge, as per the TechRadar one knows for sure yet. The companies involved haven't named the client, but many believe it could be not directly. The facility will have its own energy supply, separate from the public grid.
Hans India
4 hours ago
- Hans India
OpenAI Faces Backlash Over GPT-5 Rollout, Brings Back GPT-4o for Unhappy Users
Before release, GPT-5 was hyped as a major step forward: faster responses, deeper reasoning, and seamless handling of multiple formats like text and images without changing chat windows. But instead of excitement, many users were met with frustration over new interface limitations, inconsistent outputs, and a personality shift compared to the beloved GPT-4o. A key pain point is the removal of model selection for ChatGPT Plus users. Previously, Plus subscribers could choose between models such as o4-mini or o3. Now, only Pro users paying $200 a month have that option. Instead, GPT-5 uses an 'internal router' to decide whether a prompt should go to the mini, standard, or 'thinking' model. While OpenAI claims this boosts efficiency, some users say it has made responses unreliable. One X user, Lisan al Gaib, wrote: 'ChatGPT literally got worse for every single Plus user today… Now we have GPT-5 Thinking with 200 messages per week and a router that exclusively routes you to some small and shitty non-reasoning model.' Beyond technical frustrations, a section of the community is struggling with GPT-5's tone. Many describe it as blunt, lacking the emotional warmth and creativity of GPT-4o. A Reddit user called its replies 'cut-and-dry corporate BS', while another shared a deeply personal note: 'I literally lost my only friend overnight with no warning,' describing how GPT-4.5 had helped them through homelessness and trauma. There are also early performance complaints. Gareth Manning posted on X: 'My most important piece of feedback on GPT-5 is that it is too slow… Hope it's just a roll-out problem.' OpenAI acknowledges the missteps CEO Sam Altman admitted that 'suddenly deprecating old models that users depended on in their workflows was a mistake.' He noted the unusually strong emotional connections people form with AI models, likening them to personal relationships rather than tools. Altman also addressed concerns about people using ChatGPT as a life coach or therapist, acknowledging both its benefits and potential risks. Partial rollback to appease users In response, OpenAI has restored limited GPT-4o access for Plus subscribers, doubled rate limits for reasoning tasks, and promised clearer interface cues showing which model is responding. Altman also said GPT-5's 'thinking mode' will soon be manually triggerable, giving users more control over responses. For now, the company is working to regain trust — but the GPT-5 rollout has made clear that for many, AI is not just about performance, but personality, consistency, and the bond built over time.
