Meta's Aggressive AI Hiring Sparks Tensions and Departures
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has been making waves in the tech world with its aggressive hiring strategy for the Superintelligence Labs, led by Alexandr Wang and reporting directly to CEO Mark Zuckerberg. However, recent events have sparked speculations about internal tensions and poaching attempts, which Meta has dismissed as unfounded.
Meta has been offering lucrative salary packages, up to $300 million over four years, to attract top AI talent for its Superintelligence Labs. However, this strategy has not been without controversy. OpenAI's HR chief described Meta's poaching attempts as 'desperate' and 'unethical'.
One such instance involved Shengjia Zhao, a developer of OpenAI's ChatGPT. Zhao initially threatened to quit Meta shortly after joining, but was later appointed as Meta's chief AI scientist. However, he ultimately resigned from the position. Similarly, Chaya Nayak, previously responsible for generative AI at Meta, has also joined OpenAI.
Meta's aggressive hiring has also led to some high-profile departures. Rishabh Agarwal, an AI researcher, left Meta citing a desire to 'take on a new kind of risk'. Avi Verma and Ethan Knight, both prominent AI researchers, left Meta's Superintelligence Labs after less than a month and returned to OpenAI. Ethan Knight's departure came after he had been working on superintelligence in Meta's 'TBD Lab' team for less than a month.
Meta has dismissed claims of tension between Zuckerberg and Wang as 'manufactured tension without factual basis'. Despite this, there are reports of disagreements over the timeline for achieving superintelligence between Zuckerberg and Wang, who leads the Superintelligence Labs largely isolated from the rest of the company.
Meta's pursuit of AI talent for its Superintelligence Labs has led to both gains and losses. While the company has attracted top talent like Shengjia Zhao, it has also seen prominent researchers like Ethan Knight and Avi Verma leave for OpenAI. The aggressive hiring strategy has drawn criticism from OpenAI, and there are reports of internal tensions. Despite these challenges, Meta continues to invest heavily in AI, with the Superintelligence Labs reporting directly to CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
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