After OpenAI And Google, Mark Zuckerberg Sets Sights On This 50-Person Startup, Offering Billions To Lure Top Talent: Report
Meta Platform‘s (NASDAQ:META) CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is reportedly on a mission to recruit top AI researchers from Thinking Machines Lab for his new venture, Meta Superintelligence Labs.
What Happened: Zuckerberg’s Meta Superintelligence Labs is making aggressive moves to acquire leading AI talent from Thinking Machines Lab. The Meta CEO has already successfully attracted several top researchers from OpenAI, and now he is targeting the talent pool at Thinking Machines Lab, Wired reported.
Check out the current price of META stock here.
Thinking Machines Lab, a 50-person startup led by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, has seen over a dozen of its employees approached by Meta, with some receiving offers exceeding $1 billion over multiple years. Other proposals ranged from $200 million to $500 million over four years, with some employees reportedly assured payouts of $50 million to $100 million in the first year alone.
Despite the substantial offers, no one from Thinking Machines Lab has accepted the offers. Meta’s communications director, Andy Stone, disputed the report, stating that they had made offers to only a few individuals at TML, with the details being misrepresented.
Sources told the publication, Meta aims to challenge OpenAI by releasing open-source models that rival those of the ChatGPT creator, effectively turning the technology into a commodity.
SEE ALSO: Bitcoin Could Go To $300,000 Before ‘Great Depression’ Crisis, Traders Argue – Benzinga
Why It Matters: Zuckerberg’s aggressive recruitment tactics have been a subject of discussion in the tech industry. Meta has been aggressively expanding its AI dominance through its Superintelligence Labs (MSL), launched in June 2025 to pursue artificial general intelligence (AGI).
The company has poached top talent from OpenAI, Anthropic, Alphabet Inc‘s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google DeepMin, and Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL), reshaping the AI landscape in a fierce talent war.
Last week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responded to Meta’s recruitment tactics, which he likened to “mafioso” moves. Altman welcomed the competition, stating a defiant “bring it on” in response to Meta’s billion-dollar hiring spree.
Benzinga's Edge Rankings place Meta in the 90th percentile for quality and the 93rd percentile for growth, reflecting strong performance in both areas. Check the detailed report here.
READ MORE:
Image via Shutterstock
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
© 2025 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Posted-In: News
