OpenAI is implementing a rare company-wide shutdown next week to give employees time to recharge after months of grueling 80-hour workweeks, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter as reported by Wired. The temporary closure comes as the ChatGPT maker fights to retain top talent amid Meta’s aggressive $100 million recruitment offers.The shutdown is an uncommon move for the ChatGPT-maker, which has maintained what sources call intense operational schedules, with employees working 80 hours a week, as the AI giant races to develop artificial general intelligence. Only executives will continue working during the break, sources confirmed to Wired.
Meta capitalizes on OpenAI’s talent fatigue
Chief Research Officer Mark Chen warned staff in an internal Slack memo that Meta would likely exploit the shutdown period to pressure OpenAI researchers into making quick decisions. “Meta knows we’re taking this week to recharge and will take advantage of it to try and pressure you to make decisions fast and in isolation,” Chen wrote, in the memo as seen by Wired.The timing proves critical as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has successfully recruited seven OpenAI researchers in recent weeks, including key contributors to the company’s reasoning models. Meta’s superintelligence lab has hired Lucas Beyer, Alexander Kolesnikov, Xiaohua Zhai, and Trapit Bansal, a foundational contributor to OpenAI’s o1 model.
OpenAI to recalibrate compensation strategy
OpenAI leadership is “recalibrating comp” and exploring “creative ways to recognize and reward top talent,” Chen announced. The company’s response comes after CEO Sam Altman revealed that Meta offered some staffers signing bonuses exceeding $100 million, though recent defectors have disputed these specific figures as “fake news.”Despite the financial pressure, Altman maintains that “none of our best people have decided to take them up on that,” attributing retention to OpenAI’s superior innovation capabilities and mission focus. The company plans to shift away from frequent product launches toward achieving artificial general intelligence as its primary objective.
