Meta's AI Hiring Spree Could Backfire, Warns Former OpenAI Board Member

Helen Toner, a former OpenAI board member, is questioning whether Meta can retain its coveted talent amid the AI hiring spree.

Speaking with Bloomberg recently, Toner forecasted that Meta would experience instant pressure from competing companies seeking to poach its newly hired AI professionals.

$15 Billion Bet on AI and High-Profile Hires

Meta’s AI Hiring Spree Could Backfire, Warns Former OpenAI Board

Toner told Bloomberg that Meta will be trying to "poach them back" to other firms beginning on day one. She added that Facebook's parent firm shows that it's "moving fast enough" to retain new hires.

Meta last month made a whopping $15 billion investment in ScaleAI, a data-labeling company that plays a central role in the creation of machine learning models.

The agreement also saw ScaleAI CEO Alexandr Wang appointed as Meta's Chief AI Officer. He will co-head the newly established Meta Superintelligence Labs with GitHub's previous CEO, Nat Friedman.

Meta also brought aboard a gaggle of researchers from AI giants such as OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic. The sprees of new hires are occurring as the wider technology sector is enduring an intensifying war for the best AI talent.

Meta's Internal Culture Could Undermine Progress

Even with Meta's aggressive attempts, Toner is unconvinced. "It'll be hard," she said, citing inside battles and company politics.

From Toner's perspective, it's not about managing high performers; it's about managing egos and challenging deep-seated power structures.

"That takes a lot of willingness to stare down powerful people inside your company, who maybe don't want to lose and tell them that you actually don't want them to do what they want. The question will be, in part, can Mark Zuckerberg, if this is his big personal project, is that enough to change their organizational dynamics."

Sam Altman Also Questions Meta's Strategy

Toner's worries resonate with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who recently spoke out against Meta's compensation-driven hiring strategy, according to Business Insider.

During a recent appearance on the "Uncapped with Jack Altman" podcast, he described it as "crazy" that Meta reportedly offered his employees $100 million signing bonuses.

According to the genius behind ChatGPT, Meta isn't going to establish a tremendous culture with its approach of having a ton of upfront guaranteed comp.

Altman and Toner have a bitter past. In November 2023, Toner supported the removal of Altman as OpenAI CEO, a move soon overturned amidst external and internal protests. She has since resigned from the board and reported not having spoken with Altman since.

With detractors referencing both internal and external difficulties, Meta needs to do more than invest. It also needs to motivate and bring people together.