Meta has been somewhat successful in poaching OpenAI researchers to fuel its artificial intelligence conquest, with the company’s primary weapon of choice being that attractive signing bonus of $100 million. To be fair, one would need to possess a resolve of steel to reject that offer, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stating in an interview that the firm’s best people have yet to leave. However, a former researcher who is now working at Meta because of the lucrative offer reveals the cold truth; no $100 million signing bonus was offered to him.
The glaring truth revolving around Meta’s alleged false promises will mean that current OpenAI researchers will be more careful about accepting the offer from the competition
In November, Lucas Beyer and two of his colleagues, Alexander Kolesnikov and Xiaohua Zhai, joined OpenAI to set up the company’s Zurich office. On Thursday, Business Insider reports that Beyer and his two colleagues had left to join Meta, with the news mentioned on X. Before joining OpenAI, the talented trio worked as research scientists at Google DeepMind. Beyer admitted on the micro-blogging website that no $100 million signing bonuses were handed to him, Kolesnikov, or Zhai, with the claims being lies.
Comments on the thread were filled with sympathizers, while others believed that Beyer got what he deserved for leaving a company that established his career, while also compensating him financially. As for Meta, it is accelerating its efforts while injecting a whopping $15 billion in data-labeling firm Scale AI, with the latter’s founder and CEO, Alexandr Wang, expected to leave his current position to join Meta as they combine forces to work on superintelligence.
Hearing the updates from Beyer likely resulted in current OpenAI researchers breathing a sign of relief that none of them accepted the offer, despite Meta’s persistent efforts to poach talent on multiple occasions. Sam Altman even stated on the ‘Uncapped with Jack Altman’ that Meta’s aggressive hiring spree where it leverages its massive cash pile to lure employees from other AI firms will not create a ‘great culture.’
Altman also says that while he respects Meta as a company, he does not believe that it is great at innovation. The social media giant has yet to comment on Beyer’s claims concerning the $100 million signing bonus. Given that the former OpenAI researcher has not exactly been forthcoming with sufficient information on X, we have to wait for a concrete reply to learn more about why Meta made such claims but decided to backtrack on its lucrative offer.
News Source: Business Insider
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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