Google DeepMind CEO's 'blunt' answer to Mark Zuckerberg spending millions of dollars to hire AI engineers: The reason is simple that they are ...

AI talent war has become intense in the last few months. Some even call it bizarre. Leading the way here is Mark Zuckerberg's AI company. Meta is reportedly offering pay packages of more than $100 million to lure top researchers from leading labs like OpenAI. This aggressive recruitment strategy, which has already secured several high-profile hires, has ignited a fierce talent war and is raising concerns across the tech industry about escalating costs and competition.

The motivation behind Meta's extravagant spending was bluntly explained by Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, during a recent appearance on the "Lex Fridman" podcast. Hassabis suggested that Meta's actions are a direct response to its position as an AI laggard. Google DeepMind's CEO said that there is a simple reason Meta is spending millions of dollars to attract AI talent. "Meta right now are not at the frontier," he said. "It's probably rational what they're doing from their perspective because they're behind and they need to do something."

Meta's recent recruiting spree has already netted some major names, including former GitHub chief Nat Friedman, ex-Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang, and several former OpenAI researchers such as Shengjia Zhao, Shuchao Bi, Jiahui Yu, and Hongyu Ren.

Google DeepMind CEO : AI talent war is not only about money
However, the pursuit of talent isn't solely about money for everyone in the industry. Hassabis emphasized that many in the AI community prioritize a mission to "steward that technology safely." He noted that while companies must pay market rates, "there's more important things than just money."

This sentiment was echoed by Benjamin Mann, cofounder of AI research company Anthropic. Mann stated that his firm has been "much less affected" by the talent war because its researchers are deeply "mission-oriented." "My best case at Anthropic is we affect the future of humanity," he said, contrasting it with a best-case scenario at Meta, which he believes is simply to "make money."

These talent dynamics are unfolding against a backdrop of already high compensation for AI professionals. According to recent federal visa filings, top AI labs are offering significant salaries. For instance, OpenAI pays its technical staff an average of $292,115, with top positions reaching $530,000. Anthropic pays an even higher average of $387,500, with some roles earning up to $690,000.

The ongoing talent war underscores the intense competition at the heart of the AI industry, where companies are willing to spend massive sums to secure the minds they believe will shape the future of technology.