OpenAI Raises Salaries to Compete with Meta’s Hiring Strategies

After Meta successfully onboarded several senior researchers, an executive from OpenAI recently assured employees on Saturday that the leadership team is not simply “passively observing.”

“I’m overwhelmed with emotion, feeling as if our industry has been compromised and something precious has been lost,” stated Chief Research Officer Mark Chen in a Slack message obtained by Wired.

In light of Meta’s significant influx of new hires, Chen mentioned that he, along with CEO Sam Altman and other leaders at OpenAI, has been actively engaging with individuals contemplating new career opportunities. He highlighted their intensified efforts to reassess compensation and explore creative ways to recognize and reward outstanding talent.

Recently, various news outlets reported that eight researchers transitioned from OpenAI to Meta. Altman even voiced his concerns during a podcast about Meta allegedly offering “$100 million signing bonuses,” a statement that has ignited internal disputes among Meta executives.