Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has rejected suggestions that the company is attracting top AI researchers primarily through massive salary packages, instead arguing that access to computing power and the chance to build “superintelligence” are the main draws.
In an interview with The Information, Zuckerberg dismissed claims that Meta is “poaching researchers because of bags of money,” calling such assertions “mostly inaccurate.” He emphasised that AI researchers are joining the company because they want to work on cutting-edge artificial intelligence systems.
Recent reports have suggested Meta offered compensation packages worth hundreds of millions of dollars to attract talent from competitors including OpenAI, Apple, and Google DeepMind. Some packages reportedly exceeded £1.3 billion, fuelling speculation about an unprecedented talent war in the AI industry.
However, Zuckerberg insists the company’s appeal lies elsewhere. He highlighted three key factors drawing researchers to Meta: access to “infinite GPUs” for training large AI models, small high-impact teams with direct access to senior leadership, and complete freedom to experiment without bureaucratic constraints.
“Researchers told us they want maximum GPUs,” Zuckerberg said. “So we said, how about the smallest teams, direct access to me, and unlimited compute power?”
Meta is building massive computing clusters, including the Prometheus (1GW) and Hyperion (5GW) systems, which Zuckerberg claims will give the company “the most compute per researcher on the planet.”
The company’s Superintelligence Lab has successfully recruited top talent from major tech rivals as part of its ambitious push toward advanced AI systems.
