Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s AI hiring spree

Mark Zuckerberg has been personally recruiting top AI talent to join his new “superintelligence” AI lab, reportedly offering eye-popping compensation packages.
The recruitment process typically involves a cold outreach via email or WhatsApp, followed by a 15-minute chat to discuss the opportunity and its benefits.
Zuckerberg emphasizes the latitude researchers will have to make risky bets, the scale of Meta’s products, and the money he’s prepared to invest in infrastructure to support them.
The new team will be empowered and sit with Zuckerberg at Meta’s headquarters, with desks already rearranged for the incoming team.
Dozens of AI researchers have received these kinds of messages, but not all of them agree to hear his pitch, highlighting the competitive nature of the recruitment process.

AI researchers have recently been asking themselves a version of the question, “Is that really Zuck?“

As first reported by Bloomberg, the Meta CEO has been personally asking top AI talent to join his new “superintelligence” AI lab and reboot Llama. His recruiting process typically goes like this: a cold outreach via email or WhatsApp that cites the recruit’s work history and requests a 15-minute chat. Dozens of researchers have gotten these kinds of messages at Google alone.

For those who do agree to hear his pitch (amazingly, not all of them do), Zuckerberg highlights the latitude they’ll have to make risky bets, the scale of Meta’s products, and the money he’s prepared to invest in the infrastructure to support them. He makes clear that this new team will be empowered and sit with him at Meta’s headquarters, where I’m told the desks have already been rearranged for the incoming team.

Most of the headlines so far have focused on the eye-popping compensation packages Zuckerberg is offering, some of which are well into the eight-figure range. As I’ve covered before, hiring the best AI researcher is like hiring a star basketball player: there are very few of them, and you have t …

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Q. Who has been personally asking top AI talent to join his new “superintelligence” AI lab?

A. Mark Zuckerberg, Meta CEO.

Q. How does Mark Zuckerberg typically initiate contact with potential recruits for his AI lab?

A. He sends a cold outreach via email or WhatsApp, citing their work history and requesting a 15-minute chat.

Q. What is the typical response rate from researchers who receive these messages?

A. Not all of them agree to hear his pitch.

Q. What does Mark Zuckerberg highlight during his pitch to potential recruits?

A. The latitude they’ll have to make risky bets, the scale of Meta’s products, and the money he’s prepared to invest in infrastructure.

Q. Where will the new team sit with Mark Zuckerberg at Meta’s headquarters?

A. At desks that have already been rearranged for the incoming team.

Q. What is notable about the compensation packages offered by Mark Zuckerberg?

A. They are eye-popping and well into the eight-figure range.

Q. How rare are top AI researchers who can be hired like a star basketball player?

A. There are very few of them, making it a challenging task for companies to find the best talent.

Q. What has been covered previously about Mark Zuckerberg’s hiring practices for AI researchers?

A. The compensation packages he offers are unusually high.

Q. How many researchers have received these kinds of messages at Google alone?

A. Dozens.

Q. Why is it challenging for companies like Meta to hire top AI researchers?

A. There are very few of them, making it a highly competitive and exclusive talent pool.