Meta has hired four top artificial intelligence researchers from OpenAI, namely Shengjia Zhao, Jiahui Yu, Shuchao Bi, and Hongyu Ren, according to a report by The Information. This move is part of Meta's aggressive recruitment strategy to bolster its AI team, particularly for its Superintelligence team led by CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
The hired researchers bring valuable expertise to Meta's AI endeavors. Notably, Jiahui Yu previously led the Perception team at OpenAI, while Shuchao Bi, Shengjia Zhao, and Hongyu Ren were also notable researchers at the company. This hiring spree comes after Meta's recent recruitment of other OpenAI researchers, including Lucas Beyer, Alexander Kolesnikov, and Xia, who left OpenAI's Zurich office to join Meta.
The intense competition for AI talent is evident, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman suggesting that Meta offered signing bonuses of up to $100 million to lure OpenAI staff. However, Meta's CTO Andrew Bosworth clarified that the actual terms of the offers were more complex than a simple one-time signing bonus.
Meta's aggressive recruitment strategy is part of its broader efforts to enhance its AI capabilities. The company has been investing heavily in AI development, including a $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI, and plans to spend up to $65 billion on data-center infrastructure to support its AI initiatives. As the AI landscape continues to evolve, Meta's hiring spree highlights the growing demand for top talent in the field.
