OpenAI is reportedly reassessing its employee compensation strategy following a string of high-profile defections to Meta, as the intensifying race for artificial intelligence (AI) talent sparks internal unrest at the San Francisco-based company.
According to a memo obtained by Wired, OpenAI’s Chief Research Officer Mark Chen addressed employees on Saturday, describing the recent departures as a deeply personal blow. “I feel a visceral feeling right now, as if someone has broken into our home and stolen something,” Chen wrote in a Slack message.
The internal communication came in the wake of at least eight senior researchers exiting OpenAI in recent weeks to join Meta’s growing AI division. In response, Chen said he and other top executives, including CEO Sam Altman, have been working “around the clock” to engage with staff members weighing competing offers.
“We’re recalibrating comp, and we’re scoping out creative ways to recognize and reward top talent,” Chen added, suggesting a broader strategic shift is underway within the company to retain key personnel amid rising competition from Big Tech rivals.
Meta’s aggressive talent acquisition drive has caught the attention of the industry. Altman, speaking on a podcast earlier, alleged that Meta has been offering signing bonuses as high as $100 million to lure OpenAI staff—a claim Meta insiders have reportedly disputed.
While compensation in Silicon Valley’s AI arms race has steadily surged over the past year, the figures cited by Altman underscore the intensity of the battle for expertise in generative models and frontier research.
Meta, which has invested heavily in its open-source LLaMA model and research group, appears to be courting scientists from rival labs with both financial incentives and promises of greater academic freedom.
OpenAI, long viewed as a pioneer in generative AI following the launch of ChatGPT and GPT-4, has faced increasing scrutiny over internal transparency, leadership decisions, and its profit-capped corporate structure. Some researchers have expressed concerns over the balance between commercial imperatives and academic values.
The departures to Meta mark a critical moment for OpenAI, which is under pressure to maintain its technical edge even as its staff navigates an evolving workplace culture and shifting compensation dynamics.
Chen concluded his message to employees by reaffirming OpenAI’s mission and urging staff to “support each other” during the turbulent period.
“We are not standing idly by,” he said. “The leadership team is fully engaged.”
