Mark Cuban, billionaire entrepreneur and investor, has shared his thoughts on the ongoing AI talent war, warning that the competition for top AI talent is about to get intense. According to Cuban, major tech companies like Meta, Google, Microsoft and Apple are battling for AI dominance, pouring tens of billions into infrastructure and offering sky-high compensation packages.
Cuban believes that these companies will stop at nothing to dominate the AI landscape, including hiring away key personnel and locking up valuable intellectual property. He predicts that the days of "publish or perish" are probably over, and instead, it's now "publish, and its value perishes" because the information gets absorbed by foundational models.
The AI talent war is already heating up, with Meta reportedly offering signing bonuses of up to $100 million and total compensation packages of $300 million over four years. Cuban's comments suggest that this trend will continue, with companies willing to pay top dollar to lock up essential IP and talent.
Cuban's advice to companies developing valuable AI intellectual property is to encrypt and silo it, selling it to the highest bidder or keeping it behind a paywall. He emphasizes that "IP is KING in an AI world" and that the times are changing rapidly.
As the AI war intensifies, Cuban predicts it will get ugly, with companies fighting to dominate the landscape. Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas echoes Cuban's prediction, likening the industry's hiring frenzy to the high-stakes world of professional sports.
