Meta isn’t handing out $100 million “signing bonuses” to AI researchers, despite rumors.
The issue started after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman claimed Meta was offering $100 million bonuses to poach researchers for its new Superintelligence Lab. A leaked all-hands meeting later revealed the truth is murkier.
Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth said those massive pay packages apply only to very senior leadership and are not “sign-on bonuses.” They’re spread across stock grants, tenure, and performance conditions. 
A four-year total pay package hitting $100 million isn’t impossible at Meta, where top execs pull $20 million+ annually. But it’s rare and far from a cash windfall.
Bosworth pushed back on Altman’s claim:
“The actual terms of the offer” wasn’t a “sign-on bonus. It’s all these different things.”
Altman was “suggesting that we’re doing this for every single person,” Bosworth said. “Look, you guys, the market’s hot. It’s not that hot.”
Researcher Lucas Beyer, one of three from OpenAI’s Zurich office joining Meta, tweeted to confirm no $100 million bonuses landed with them.
“1) yes, we will be joining Meta. 2) no, we did not get 100M sign-on, that’s fake news.”
Beyer focuses on computer vision AI, matching Meta’s push into entertainment AI with Quest VR and AI glasses from Ray-Ban and Oakley.
Meta is still spending big on talent. It recently hired OpenAI’s Trapit Bansal, who works on AI reasoning. Scale CEO Alexandr Wang likely pocketed over $100 million through Meta’s $14 billion deal for 49% of his company, paid mainly as shareholder dividends.
One investor told TechCrunch that a candidate rejected an $18 million job offer from Meta for a smaller payout at the buzzier Thinking Machines Lab.
Meta is clearly serious about AI hiring — just not handing out $100 million cash bonuses like candy.
