Big quote: The race to recruit the world's brightest artificial intelligence minds is pushing compensation in Silicon Valley to once-unimaginable heights. Reports surfaced this week that Meta offered a staggering $1.25 billion over four years to a top AI prospect – an overture reportedly declined by the candidate, according to Daniel Francis, the founder of Abel and a prominent figure in AI circles.
While such an offer might once have sounded outlandish, it is now emblematic of the escalating contest for talent that is transforming the tech industry. Industry insiders confirm that Meta and its competitors are offering deals that rival those given to professional athletes and Fortune 500 executives, with total pay packages often exceeding $300 million over multi-year periods for top-tier researchers.
Meta's recruitment drive is part of its broader push to cement itself as a future leader in generative AI, following a $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI and the recruitment of its high-profile CEO, Alexandr Wang, to co-lead the new Meta Superintelligence Labs.
Update: was informed of a $1.25 billion offer for four years, new highest I've seen
– Daniel (@growing_daniel) July 20, 2025
guys what the hell is going on https://t.co/n5vDZ7Dl5y
Their extraordinary scarcity propels the demand for AI specialists. Estimates suggest there are only a few thousand people globally with the expertise to build the models powering the latest AI advances. As a result, the salaries and incentives on offer have surged at every level. At Meta, base salaries for senior AI research engineers have topped $440,000, even before factoring in stock and bonuses that can multiply total compensation several times over. For mid-level engineers, total packages at major tech firms can now range from $500,000 to $2 million annually. Star researchers command compensation once reserved for celebrity CEOs, and in some cases, these contracts even approach or surpass those figures.
Executives, including Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, reportedly reach out to AI researchers directly, hosting meetings and interviews at private gatherings in a bid to woo the rarest talent. These extraordinary offers have prompted a response from rivals, most notably OpenAI, which has moved to expand retention bonuses, equity packages, and other creative incentives for key personnel.
What began as a contest over ideas and engineering breakthroughs has become a high-stakes, high-dollar standoff. Compensation strategies once reserved for mergers and product launches are now focused on individuals, making it clear that, at least for now, the key to technological supremacy is not just infrastructure or innovation, but the few human minds capable of advancing the core of artificial intelligence.