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OpenAI isn’t staying quiet as Meta tries to lure away its top minds with massive signing bonuses. In a stern internal memo (via Wired), the company urged employees to reject Meta’s offers—some reportedly hitting $100 million.
The message came from Chief Research Officer Mark Chen, who likened the situation to “someone breaking into our home.” He told staff via Slack that OpenAI leadership is exploring ways to boost compensation for those being targeted, so they feel valued enough to stay.
This follows recent reports that Meta is aggressively courting OpenAI talent, even with direct outreach from Mark Zuckerberg. Four senior researchers have already jumped ship to Meta’s new superintelligence lab.
Chen shared quotes from seven other OpenAI research leads, advising staff to hold their ground. One even suggested telling Meta recruiters to “back off” if they become too pushy with what Chen called “ridiculous” offers.
OpenAI isn’t just leaning on loyalty. Chen noted that leadership may adjust compensation packages for those fielding competing offers. Still, he stressed that the company’s focus should remain on building Artificial General Intelligence—not chasing counteroffers.
OpenAI’s warning comes just as the company enters a planned break to give employees time to recharge after long work weeks. Leadership believes this downtime could be a key window when Meta might ramp up its hiring efforts.
Whether the memo can counter the temptation of Meta’s high-dollar offers remains to be seen.
Rishaj Upadhyay
