Meta is aggressively snatching up AI talent, with Zuckerberg shouting "annual salary exceeding $100 million"; Sam Altman sarcastically remarks: can't buy the best employees.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has sacrificed hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation and acquisition strategies to recruit top AI talent globally, but whether high salaries can defeat cultural and turnover challenges remains to be verified (Synopsis: Meta × Oakley's "AI sports glasses" debut: 3K image, 8 hours battery life, IPX4 waterproof, pre-order price $399) (Background supplement: Meta signed a 20-year nuclear power agreement to package an entire nuclear reactor to support AI computing power, and cooperate with American Constellation Energy) in When AI became the main battleground of technology, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally launched the battle for talent: from WhatsApp private messages to mansion dinners, offering up to $100 million in salaries, and even considering acquiring startups just to quickly build a "super team". Since spring 2025, Zuckerberg has joined a WhatsApp group called the Recruiting Party to send invitations to hundreds of AI researchers, scientists, and infrastructure engineers, and personally plan the workplace of the future. He negotiated a deal with Perplexity and invested $14 billion in startup Scale, making 28-year-old CEO Alexandr Wang one of the most expensive employees. Meta has also set aside an AI budget of about $65 billion to show its determination to catch up. Huge expenditures do not necessarily translate into stable combat power. Candidates have doubts about the frequent restructuring of the Meta AI division and the delay in the release of Llama 4; Chief scientist Yann LeCun has reservations about whether large language models can achieve superhuman intelligence, and internal opinions are divided. Meta AI talent retention is about 64%, lower than Anthropic's 80% and Google DeepMind's 78%. In 2024, about 4.3% of researchers will leave, and some core members have already invested in non-compete or entrepreneurship. Competitors' response to OpenAI and Google DeepMind quickly increased their countermeasures. According to TechCrunch, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said, "Money can't buy the best employees, it's all about innovation culture and mission." OpenAI retains talent with salary increases and expanded responsibilities; Google DeepMind has a long-term non-compete clause and high retention bonuses, including up to $20 million in equity. The industry's top salaries have soared, compared to a reduction in demand for fresh hiring, which has become polarized. Meta teamed up with hundreds of millions of dollars in offers and acquisitions to establish the urgency of entering AI; However, analysts warn that if the organizational culture misalignment and long-term vision cannot be repaired at the same time, even the highest quotation may become a "revolving door". How Zuckerberg transforms its financial resources into a soil for continuous innovation will determine whether Meta can regain its voice in the new era of AI. Related reports Meta vetoes the "bitcoin reserve" case, less than 0.1% of shareholders support: funds give priority to buy AI graphics cards Meta crypto payment returns? FB, IG internal test stablecoin payment, Zuckerberg did not give up the blockchain ambition Meta solemnly refuted: never cooperated with China to censor Taiwanese content or share user information (Meta grabbed AI talents, Zuckerberg shouted "annual salary exceeds 100 million US dollars"; Sam Altman: Can't buy the best employees" This article was first published in BlockTempo's "Dynamic Trend - The Most Influential Blockchain News Media".