Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has taken a personal role in spearheading the company’s new “superintelligence” AI lab by actively recruiting top AI talent. He is contacting leading researchers directly via email or WhatsApp, referencing their credentials and inviting them to short meetings. Even among Google staff alone, dozens have received these pitches. This level of involvement is unusual for a tech CEO and highlights Meta’s urgency in regaining AI momentum.
For those who take the meeting, Zuckerberg pitches a compelling vision: the freedom to make bold technical decisions, Meta’s massive scale, and substantial infrastructure investment. He emphasizes that this new team will have real power, working closely with him at Meta headquarters—where physical space has already been restructured to accommodate them.
Zuckerberg’s aggressive hiring strategy includes massive compensation offers, some reportedly reaching into eight-figure territory. This level of investment mirrors elite sports recruitment, where talent scarcity commands premium deals. The most notable example is the acquisition of Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang, a move likened in value to acquiring 14 Instagram-level deals.
AI Talent Wars Intensify as Meta Disrupts Rivals and Struggles to Revive Llama
Zuckerberg’s AI talent grab is shaking up the broader industry. In response, competitors like OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Google have made counter-moves—such as publishing public reaffirmations of their missions or promoting top talent to retain them. The competition to attract AI leaders is heating up, with Meta’s aggressive tactics forcing others to act defensively.
Zuckerberg Personally Leads Meta’s AI Talent Raid as Alexandr Wang Joins Superintelligence PushMeta’s AI division, particularly its Llama model, is reportedly lagging behind competitors. Some internal teams have even considered using external models, although that remains unlikely. However, Meta’s internal coding tools already integrate rival models like Anthropic’s Claude. The new hires, such as DeepMind’s Jack Rae and likely new chief AI officer Alexandr Wang, are expected to lead a major overhaul.
Apple Falls Behind as Meta Advances, Wang Departs Scale Amid AI Talent Wars
Following the Meta acquisition, Scale AI employees celebrated their windfall while Alexandr Wang bid an emotional farewell in an all-hands meeting. He has not publicly disclosed his exact role at Meta, but it’s anticipated that the official launch of the new AI lab will follow once more key hires are finalized.
In contrast, Apple appears out of step with the accelerating AI race. Despite its historical dominance, its AI development lags. At WWDC, Apple admitted to delays in revamping Siri, now projected for 2026. The company’s current AI models underperform compared to peers, and its slow update cycle risks leaving it behind as other platforms rapidly evolve.
Apple’s on-device model offerings, though appealing to some developers, lack technical competitiveness. While features like live call translation show promise, Apple is heavily relying on its partnership with OpenAI to fill in the gaps. Long term, Apple risks losing user engagement to more innovative AI platforms. Whether Apple can shift its culture to compete in the AI-first era remains a pressing question.
