Two more top OpenAI researchers defect to Meta
At least 10 top OpenAI researchers have now left for Meta’s “superintelligence” team, lured by huge pay packages and massive computing resources.
Meta’s hiring spree for its new “superintelligence” team has bagged two new high-profile defectors from OpenAI. Wired reports that Jason Wei and Hyung Won Chung have left their roles at OpenAI for Mark Zuckerberg’s new team of AI all-stars. According to the report, the pair were close collaborators who worked on OpenAI’s o1 and “deep research” models.
Meta has been luring top AI talent from its rivals with eye-popping pay packages and signing bonuses. Reportedly, Meta paid Apple AI exec Ruoming Pang a package worth $200 million.
With these latest poaches, that makes at least 10 AI researchers Meta has been able to tempt away from OpenAI.
While the outsized pay packages are a huge draw, the chance to continue to work with close collaborators at a company that is dedicating tens of billions toward some of the largest AI data centers in the world may also prove to be irresistible for some researchers.
The departures may be taking a toll on morale at the AI startup. Mark Chen, OpenAI’s chief research officer, reportedly told staff that it felt like “someone has broken into our home and stolen something.”
CEO and cofounder Sam Altman reportedly told his employees in a message on Slack, “What Meta is doing will, in my opinion, lead to very deep cultural problems.”
