Ex-OpenAI Researcher Joining Meta Admits Sam Altman “Played” Market with $100M Claims
Lucas Beyer, a key researcher among the trio who recently left OpenAI to join Meta’s superintelligence team, has publicly denied reports of a $100 million signing bonus from Mark Zuckerberg. Labeling the claims “fake news,” Beyer stated on X (formerly Twitter): “No, we did not get 100M sign-on, that’s fake news.” His announcement confirmed his move to Meta alongside colleagues Alexander Kolesnikov and Xiaohua Zhai.
Beyer’s statement directly responds to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who suggested on his brother’s podcast that Meta offered “giant offers” exceeding $100 million to lure away OpenAI’s top talent. The researchers, previously based at OpenAI’s Zurich office, departed for Meta’s new AI unit this week.
Altman’s Strategy Backfires?
When a social media user proposed Altman inflated the $100 million figure to discourage other employees from accepting Meta offers, Beyer agreed: “Yes, it was a brilliant move, gotta give him that.” Meta’s Chief Technology Officer, Andrew Bosworth, reinforced this view internally on Thursday. Bosworth reportedly called Altman “dishonest,” accusing him of countering Meta’s offers while simultaneously distorting market expectations. Bosworth clarified such massive compensation packages are only for “a very, very small number of people” in senior leadership.
Beyer, Kolesnikov, and Zhai previously collaborated at Google DeepMind before joining OpenAI in December 2024 to establish its Zurich presence. Their recruitment is a significant boost for Zuckerberg’s superintelligence initiative.
Meta’s Aggressive AI Talent Push
Meta’s hiring drive extends beyond this group. The company also secured Trapit Bansal, a prominent OpenAI researcher instrumental in developing the o1 AI reasoning model. This follows Meta’s $14 billion investment in Scale AI and the addition of Scale CEO Alexandr Wang to its superintelligence team.
Zuckerberg’s intensified recruitment comes amid reports of underwhelming launches for Meta’s latest AI models and delays in releasing upgrades. The company plans up to $65 billion in capital expenditures this year, heavily focused on AI development.
Despite the denials around specific compensation figures, the competition for elite AI talent between tech giants like Meta and OpenAI remains fierce. Meta’s median employee compensation was $417,400 last year, and company filings confirm no executives received $100 million packages in recent years.