Meta is dropping jaw-dropping pay packages to lure top AI talent away from OpenAI. Offers reportedly hit $300 million over four years, with more than $100 million in total compensation just in the first year, according to WIRED.
Meta’s headhunter is pushing hard, making at least 10 huge offers to OpenAI staffers. One was even courted for chief scientist but declined. The equity vests immediately in year one, sources say.
Not all are convinced. One OpenAI staffer told WIRED anonymously, “That’s about how much it would take for me to go work at Meta.” But many weigh the money against impact. Several think their work matters more at OpenAI. 
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone pushed back on the high numbers:
“That’s about how much it would take for me to go work at Meta,” says one OpenAI staffer who spoke with WIRED on the condition of anonymity as they aren’t authorized to speak publicly about the company. Other employees said that they were weighing the money against the potential impact they could have at Meta in comparison to OpenAI. Several believed their impact would be greater at OpenAI.
“These statements are untrue – the size and structure of these compensation packages have been misrepresented all over the place,” says Meta spokesperson Andy Stone. “Some people have chosen to greatly exaggerate what’s happening for their own purposes.”
WIRED also heard a senior Meta engineer earns around $850K yearly, less than the highest offers but impressive. Meta E7 engineers average $1.54 million annually, per Levels.FYI.
Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth set the record straight in an all-staff Q&A last week:
“Look, you guys, the market’s hot. It’s not that hot. Okay? So it’s just a lie,” Bosworth said. “We have a small number of leadership roles that we’re hiring for, and those people do command a premium.” He added the $100 million isn’t a sign-on bonus but “all these different things” and mentioned OpenAI is countering Meta’s offers.
For context: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella made $79.1 million in 2024, mostly in stock. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi pulled in about $39.4 million last year, also mostly in stock.
Monday, Mark Zuckerberg announced Meta’s new superintelligence team. Alexandr Wang, ex-Scale AI CEO, is Meta’s chief AI officer. Nat Friedman, ex-GitHub head, also joins. They co-lead Meta Superintelligence Labs. Meta did not name a chief scientist or chief research officer.
Sources say none of the OpenAI hires landed the $300 million deal.
Meta is seriously ramping up AI hiring, with checks large enough to make waves but insists the wildest reports are exaggerated.
