OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has sharply criticized Meta for poaching key researchers from the company. In an internal letter published by WIRED, Altman called Meta's actions "disgraceful" and warned that their strategy could lead to "deep cultural problems."
The conflict arose after Meta announced the creation of an artificial superintelligence team led by Alexander Wang (ex-Scale AI) and Nat Friedman (ex-GitHub). Some OpenAI employees also joined the Meta team. OpenAI's chief scientific officer Mark Chen called it a "home invasion."
Altman, in a letter to employees, emphasized the benefits of working at OpenAI: "Missionaries will beat mercenaries." He emphasized that OpenAI is focused on creating artificial general intelligence (AGI) as its main goal, while Meta, he said, is distracted by "protecting social impact" or "the next trend." Altman also hinted at a review of compensation for OpenAI researchers, arguing that the company’s stock has greater upside potential compared to Meta.
"We are making an unprecedented bet on compute, but I love that we are doing it and I'm confident we will make good use of it," Altman wrote.
He also highlighted OpenAI's unique culture, acknowledging its "quirkiness" but calling it a "magical source of innovation."
Meta is aggressively recruiting talent, offering bonuses of up to $100 million and compensation of up to $300 million over four years, according to WIRED. However, Altman noted that Meta has failed to lure OpenAI's top scientists, reaching out to candidates "far down the list."