Meta is throwing insane cash at AI talent — and still striking out.
The company’s Superintelligence Labs tried luring more than a dozen people from Thinking Machines Lab (TML), an AI startup led by former OpenAI exec Mira Murati. Offers included eye-popping figures — one source told Wired a single person was offered over $1 billion, paid over several years.
Despite the mega-offers, not a single TML team member took the bait. That’s a huge red flag for Meta’s brand and leadership. 
Meta communications director Andy Stone confirmed offers happened but disputed the billion-dollar number to Wired.
The push is part of Zuckerberg’s scramble to keep pace with OpenAI and Google. Earlier this year he snagged Ruoming Pang from Apple and Scale AI cofounder Alexandr Wang to lead the new lab. But sources told Wired staffers doubt Wang’s leadership due to his “relative lack of experience.”
Meta’s recent AI moves haven’t helped. Its Llama 4 rollout faced backlash over alleged benchmark fudging. Meanwhile, TML just hit a $12 billion valuation after a record funding round, meaning they have deep pockets for retention.
Zuckerberg is betting big, chasing what he calls “personal superintelligence.” But AI researchers are clearly calling the shots, ignoring even billion-dollar Meta offers.
The AI gold rush is here, but Meta’s checks can’t buy trust or talent loyalty—at least not yet.
“We’ve been following your work on advancing technology and the benefits of AI for everyone over the years,” Zuckerberg wrote in a message to a potential recruit, as quoted by Wired.
“We’re making some important investments across research, products and our infrastructure in order to build the most valuable AI products and services for people.”
