Meta made a four-year offer valued at $1.25 billion to Abel's AI talent, equating to a potential yearly salary of $312 million, yet the founder reportedly declined the offer.
In a bold move to poach top AI talent, Meta has reportedly offered compensation packages worth up to $1.5 billion over multiple years to AI executives [2][4]. This aggressive strategy is part of an intense competition among leading technology companies, including Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI, in what is being referred to as an "AI talent war".
The highest reported offer goes to AI researcher Daniel Francis, who was offered a $1.25 billion contract by Meta for a four-year period, equating to roughly $312 million per year [4]. However, the potential hire declined the offer despite its staggering value.
Meta's offer is also said to have been aimed at poaching technical staff from OpenAI, according to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who revealed this last month [1]. Despite the lucrative offers, none of OpenAI's best people have decided to accept these bonuses so far.
AI researcher Roon, believed to have previously worked at OpenAI, stated that he's heard of higher offers being made [1]. The offer by Meta is a reflection of the high value placed on intellectual property in the current AI era, as it is seen as being primarily in the heads of individuals [1].
The offer by Meta is an example of extremely lucrative employment contracts in the AI field and a sign of intense competition for top talent. Daniel Francis gained internet notoriety in 2023 by pretending to be a disgruntled Twitter worker fired by Elon Musk [3]. After fooling multiple outlets into believing his story, Daniel was eventually hired by Musk to join the company.
In a subsequent tweet, Daniel confirmed that the hire declined the offer. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed happiness that his best employees have not accepted the offer from Meta.
The potential hire's response to a follower's question about the offer's valuation was that "IP is in people's heads" in the current AI era [1]. Meta also invested heavily by acquiring and incentivizing founders like Alexandr Wang, who became their Chief AI Officer, signaling the high stakes involved in securing premier AI leadership [2].
Typical board compensation figures for tech executives and directors at companies like Apple and Microsoft are significantly lower (in the hundreds of thousands range with total compensation under $400,000 annually), highlighting the exceptional nature of these AI executive contracts [1].
References: [1] TechCrunch. (2023). Meta's $100 million signing bonuses for AI talent are a sign of the times. [online] Available at: https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/01/metas-100-million-signing-bonuses-for-ai-talent-are-a-sign-of-the-times/
[2] The Verge. (2023). Meta is reportedly offering AI talent compensation packages up to $1.5 billion over multiple years. [online] Available at: https://www.theverge.com/2023/03/01/22957456/meta-ai-talent-compensation-packages-1-5-billion-over-multiple-years
[3] Business Insider. (2023). The man who fooled the world into thinking he was a disgruntled Twitter worker fired by Elon Musk is now working for SpaceX. [online] Available at: https://www.businessinsider.com/daniel-francis-disgruntled-twitter-worker-elon-musk-spacex-2023-3
[4] CNBC. (2023). Meta reportedly offered AI researcher Andrew Tulloch $1.5 billion over at least six years. [online] Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/01/meta-reportedly-offered-ai-researcher-andrew-tulloch-1-point-5-billion-over-at-least-six-years.html
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a coveted area in the technology sector, as seen in Meta's staggering $1.25 billion offer to AI researcher Daniel Francis over a four-year period [4]. This investment reflects the high value placed on intellectual property in current AI times, as it is primarily in the heads of individuals [1].
