Mark Zuckerberg betting big on AI talent, offering Rs 860 crore salary to attract top minds
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is going all in to build a top-tier artificial intelligence (AI) team and is personally trying to bring the smartest people in the AI space on board. According to a report from WSJ, Zuckerberg has been directly messaging top researchers, developers, and entrepreneurs across the world, offering them huge salary packages of up to $100 million, which is about Rs 860 crore when converted to Indian currency.advertisementThe tech billionaire is trying to build a new "Superintelligence" lab under Meta. To make this a reality, he is personally involved in the hiring process. In fact, he has been reaching out to people via emails and WhatsApp messages, a move that has surprised many candidates. One of them even thought the messages were fake and didn't respond immediately, only to later find out that the Meta CEO himself was trying to contact him.This aggressive hiring push reportedly started after Meta's recent struggles in the AI space. The company delayed the launch of one of its new AI models earlier this year and was also accused of presenting performance data that made its model look better than it actually was. These incidents raised concerns about whether Meta was falling behind in the fast-moving AI race, especially with companies like OpenAI and Google pushing ahead.advertisement
To change the situation, Zuckerberg is now playing the role of chief recruiter himself. He has approached several big names in the AI field, including OpenAI co-founders (John Schulman and Bill Peebles) and other experts from top firms. While some seem to have declined the offers as they have not yet joined or resigned, discussions are still going on with others. In one case, Meta reportedly offered to acquire a startup just to bring its team onboard. In another, Zuckerberg is said to have spent over $14 billion to get the CEO of a startup called Scale AI to join his team.These aren't regular job offers. The report says that some candidates have been offered $100 million (around Rs 860 crore) compensation packages, making them among the highest-paid tech hires ever. Despite the money, not everyone is convinced. Some of the people Meta is trying to hire feel unsure about the company's current AI direction and structure. Meta has gone through multiple internal reshuffles, which has led to confusion about who is leading what.Another reason for hesitation among potential hires is Meta's chief AI scientist Yann LeCun, who reportedly has a different opinion on how AI should move forward. While many companies are focusing on large language models (LLMs) to achieve superhuman AI, LeCun doesn't believe this is the right path. This difference of opinion within Meta is also making some experts think twice before joining.advertisementEven so, Zuckerberg remains highly active and personally invested in building this AI dream team. He's part of a WhatsApp group called 'Recruiting Party' with Meta's top HR officials, where they discuss hiring strategies. Once someone is shortlisted, Zuckerberg often sends the first message himself. If the person responds positively, he invites them for private meetings, sometimes even at his homes in Palo Alto or Lake Tahoe.He is also promising that resources will not be a problem at Meta. With billions in advertising revenue and access to the latest AI chips, Zuckerberg wants to ensure that those who join won't have to worry about funding or computing power. He believes this strong foundation will attract talent that wants to work on next-level AI products.However, other companies are also trying to retain their top minds. OpenAI, for example, has reportedly made attractive counteroffers to those Meta tried to poach. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman even said that none of their top team members have left for Meta so far.- Ends
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