Meta is aggressively recruiting top AI researchers with lucrative pay packages, but a claim about offering $100 million signing bonuses seems to be exaggerated. According to Meta's CTO Andrew Bosworth, the company might offer around $100 million in total compensation over four years for very senior leadership roles, but this wouldn't be a straightforward signing bonus. Instead, Meta offers comprehensive compensation packages that include restricted stock unit (RSU) grants dependent on tenure or performance metrics.
Some researchers have disputed the $100 million figure, with Lucan Beyer, a former OpenAI researcher now at Meta, stating "No, we did not get 100M sign-on, that's fake news." Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg is reportedly taking a hands-on approach to recruiting top AI talent, even directly recruiting researchers himself.
The company's efforts to attract top talent are part of its broader strategy to bolster its AI capabilities. Meta has made significant moves, like acquiring Scale AI for $14.3 billion, to demonstrate its commitment to AI development. As the competition for AI talent continues to heat up, Meta's approach highlights the lengths to which companies will go to secure the expertise they need to stay ahead in the field.
