Sam Altman Slams Meta’s AI Talent-Poaching Spree: 'Missionaries Will Beat Mercenaries'

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is hitting backmost astatine Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s caller AI talent-poaching spree. In a full-throated consequence sent to OpenAI researchers Monday evening and obtained by WIRED, Altman made his transportation for why staying astatine OpenAI is nan only reply for those looking to build artificial wide intelligence, hinting that nan institution is evaluating compensation for nan full investigation organization.

He besides dismissed Meta’s recruiting efforts, saying what nan institution is doing could lead to heavy taste problems down nan road.

“We person gone from immoderate nerds successful nan area to nan astir absorbing group successful nan tech manufacture (at least),” he wrote connected Slack. “AI Twitter is toxic; Meta is acting successful a measurement that feels somewhat distasteful; I presume things will get moreover crazier successful nan future. After I sewage fired and came backmost I said that was not nan craziest point that would hap successful OpenAl history; surely neither is this.”

The news comes connected nan heels of a awesome announcement from Zuckerberg. On Monday, nan Meta CEO sent a memo to unit introducing nan company’s caller superintelligence team, which will beryllium helmed by Alexandr Wang, formerly of Scale AI, and Nat Friedman, who antecedently led GitHub. The database of caller hires besides included a number of people from OpenAI, including Shengjia Zhao, Shuchao Bi, Jiahui Yu, and Hongyu Ren. OpenAI’s main investigation officer, Mark Chen, told staff that it felt for illustration “someone has surgery into our location and stolen something.”

Altman struck a different reside astir nan departures successful his statement connected Monday.

“Meta has gotten a fewer awesome group for sure, but connected nan whole, it is difficult to overstate really overmuch they didn't get their apical group and had to spell rather acold down their list; they person been trying to enlistee group for a ace agelong time, and I've mislaid way of really galore group from present they've tried to get to beryllium their Chief Scientist,” he wrote. “I americium proud of really mission-oriented our manufacture is arsenic a whole; of people location will ever beryllium immoderate mercenaries.”

He added that “Missionaries will hit mercenaries” and noted that OpenAI is assessing compensation for nan full investigation organization. “I judge location is much, overmuch much upside to OpenAl banal than Meta stock,” he wrote. “But I deliberation it's important that immense upside comes aft immense success; what Meta is doing will, successful my opinion, lead to very heavy taste problems. We will person much to stock astir this soon but it's very important to maine we do it reasonably and not conscionable for group who Meta happened to target.”

Altman past made his transportation for group to stay astatine OpenAI. “I person ne'er been much assured successful our investigation roadmap,” he wrote. “We are making an unprecedented stake connected compute, but I emotion that we are doing it and I'm assured we will make bully usage of it. Most importantly of all, I deliberation we person nan astir typical squad and civilization successful nan world. We person activity to do to amended our civilization for sure; we person been done insane hypergrowth. But we person nan halfway correct successful a measurement that I don't deliberation anyone other rather does, and I'm assured we tin hole nan problems.”

“And possibly much importantly than that, we really attraction astir building AGI successful a bully way,” he added. “Other companies attraction much astir this arsenic an instrumental extremity to immoderate different mission. But this is our apical thing, and ever will be. Long aft Meta has moved connected to their adjacent spirit of nan week, aliases defending their societal moat, we will beryllium here, time aft day, twelvemonth aft year, figuring retired really to do what we do amended than anyone else. A batch of different efforts will emergence and autumn too.”

A number of high-ranking labor who’ve worked astatine Meta followed up successful Slack pinch their ain stories astir why OpenAI’s civilization is superior. “[T]hey perpetually rotate their apical focus,” wrote one. Another said: “Yes we’re quirky and weird, but that’s what makes this spot a magical cradle of innovation,” wrote one. “OpenAI is weird successful nan astir magical way. We incorporate multitudes.”