OpenAI is currently facing a significant internal crisis triggered by a wave of high-profile staff departures to Meta, just as the competition to build artificial general intelligence (AGI) intensifies. At least eight senior researchers—including Lucas Beyer, Alexander Kolesnikov, and Xiaohua Zhai—have reportedly left OpenAI in recent weeks to join Meta’s AI division. Others include Trapit Bansal, Shengjia Zhao, Jiahui Yu, Shuchao Bi, and Hongyu Ren. The mass exits have prompted a strong internal reaction, with OpenAI scrambling to stem further attrition.
Mark Chen, OpenAI’s Chief Research Officer, addressed the situation in an emotionally charged Slack message, describing the exits as a personal affront: “as if someone has broken into our home and stolen something.” His message, reportedly obtained by Wired, emphasized that leadership is taking urgent action. Efforts include recalibrating compensation, exploring new incentives for top talent, and engaging directly with employees entertaining competing offers.
CEO Sam Altman has also become deeply involved, particularly after Meta’s aggressive talent poaching campaign. According to reports from The Wall Street Journal and TechCrunch, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is personally courting AI researchers from OpenAI and Google to build out its superintelligence team. OpenAI views Meta’s recruitment tactics as especially aggressive, with some staff alleging that Meta is deliberately targeting OpenAI’s scheduled week-long recharge break to pressure potential hires into quick decisions.
Altman recently stated on a podcast that Meta was offering signing bonuses as high as $100 million—a claim Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth flatly denied, calling it “wildly misleading.” Bosworth clarified that such figures might only apply to a very small number of top-tier hires and wouldn’t be structured as simple lump-sum bonuses. Beyer, Kolesnikov, and Zhai, now at Meta, also dismissed the $100 million rumor as “fake news.”
Despite public reassurances, OpenAI is clearly on the defensive. Chen’s Slack message reportedly included encouragement from senior researchers urging teammates not to be swayed by high-pressure offers and cautioning against making career moves in isolation. Some even warned that Meta could exploit OpenAI’s rest week to undermine morale.
What complicates the situation further is that OpenAI is operating at a breakneck pace—employees reportedly work 80-hour weeks. This week off was intended to offer relief, but leadership, including Chen and Altman, have committed to remaining on-call to support staff during this critical period.
Chen also used his message to remind the team of their long-term mission: “We need to remain focused on the real prize of finding ways to compute into intelligence. Skirmishes with Meta are the side quest.” Altman backed Chen publicly on Slack, praising his leadership and integrity during this turbulent period.
Overall, the drama highlights the intensifying war for AI talent between tech giants, especially as both OpenAI and Meta ramp up efforts to achieve breakthroughs in AGI. While Meta’s lab appears to be gaining momentum with its recent hires, OpenAI’s leadership is betting on loyalty to mission, culture, and strategic compensation adjustments to retain its core talent. Whether that will be enough remains to be seen.
