Mark Zuckerberg's Offers to AI Professionals at Meta

As Meta expands its new superintelligence lab, the company has offered research professionals compensation packages reportedly reaching up to $300 million over four years, with more than $100 million in total compensation for the first year.

Meta has made at least 10 high-value offers to staff from OpenAI, according to sources. One senior researcher was approached for the role of chief scientist but declined, according to multiple individuals familiar with the discussions. The compensation package includes equity, with immediate vesting of stock in the first year, according to sources.

"That’s about how much it would take for me to go work at Meta," said an OpenAI staff member who requested anonymity due to company policy. Other employees indicated they were considering the financial offer alongside the potential impact they could have at Meta compared to OpenAI. Several stated they believed their impact would be greater at OpenAI.

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone stated, "These statements are untrue - the size and structure of these compensation packages have been misrepresented all over the place. Some people have chosen to greatly exaggerate what’s happening for their own purposes."

A senior engineer at Meta confirmed their annual pay was approximately $850,000, which is less than the compensation currently being offered to some candidates. Employees in the next pay band (E7) reportedly earn an average of $1.54 million per year, based on user data from Levels.FYI.

Market Context and Company Statements

During a recent Q&A with employees, Andrew Bosworth, Meta's chief technology officer, clarified that not all candidates are receiving $100 million offers. "Look, you guys, the market's hot. It's not that hot. Okay? So it's just a lie," he said. "We have a small number of leadership roles that we're hiring for, and those people do command a premium." He added that the $100 million figure is not a sign-on bonus, but includes various components, and noted that OpenAI is responding with counteroffers.

For comparison, Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, received $79.1 million in total compensation in 2024, primarily in stock, according to a company financial filing. Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, received approximately $39.4 million, also mainly in stock, in the same year.

Meta's Superintelligence Team

On Monday, Mark Zuckerberg informed Meta staff about the formation of the new superintelligence team. Alexandr Wang, formerly CEO of Scale AI, has become Meta’s chief AI officer. Nat Friedman, who previously led GitHub, will join Wang in co-leading the Meta Superintelligence Labs. The company did not announce a chief scientist or chief research officer. According to a source familiar with the contracts, none of the OpenAI staff who joined Meta received the $300 million offer.