• By Alex David
  • Sun, 29 Jun 2025 10:09 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND

To improve its artificial intelligence capabilities, Meta has allegedly brought on eight new researchers from OpenAI including top names Trapit Bansal, Shengjia Zhao, Jiahui Yu, Shuchao Bi, and Hongyu Ren. This marks one of the largest waves of talent acquisition in the competition between the two AI giants.

This comes after a lacklustre launch of Meta’s Llama 4 models in April 2025, which reportedly did not live up to CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s expectations. Critics also condemned the model's performance on industry benchmarks, which incited Meta to further try to recruit elite AI talent.

Meta’s AI Hiring Spree: Who’s Jumping Ship from OpenAI?

According to The Information, the following OpenAI researchers have recently joined Meta:

  • Trapit Bansal – Influential AI researcher with expertise in model training and optimisation.
  • Shengjia Zhao – Known for work on generative modelling and representation learning.
  • Jiahui Yu – Contributor to multimodal systems and vision-language integration.
  • Shuchao Bi – Specialist in machine learning algorithms and systems.
  • Hongyu Ren – Focused on knowledge graphs and large-scale data reasoning.
This brings the total to at least eight high-profile defections from OpenAI to Meta, after unreported hires made by OpenAI were disclosed earlier this week. The Wall Street Journal reported eight high-profile open ai researchers between the two companies increasing meta’s talent pool substantially.

$100 Million Signing Bonuses? The Back-and-Forth Continues

In a previous statement, OpenAI and Meta are constantly exchanging blows, prompting tension. Balance offered around $100 Million bonuses for people signing with them, which was denied by Altman, stating that their best are not leaving anytime soon. That being said, Balances rebutted assertions,n stating that $100 Million prizes have numerous factors making it worthy of looking within the payment range. The War opened up with entities gleaming interest in the stance extremists take, controlling the narrative on headlines, grabbing sections.

Why Is Meta So Desperate for AI Talent?

Disappointing benchmark results from its Llama 4 models alongside rising competition from OpenAI and Google DeepMind are metas driving forces towards bolstering its AI division. It aims to embed advanced capabilities deeply across its platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and even in products meant for the Metaverse. Acquiring top-tier talent is a crucial need right now due to increasing investment in AI tech paired with lagging rivals.

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Final Thoughts

Meta's aggressive spending on new hires is yet another indicator of the increasing rivalry during the AI arms race. The competitive open warfare between factions has spurred some of the greatest researchers to change teams, fundamentally altering the status quo in generative AI. OpenAI might not care about these shifts, but Meta seems determined to rewrite its AI story — even if that entails unprecedented financial commitments for tech talent. At this stage, though, it remains uncertain whether these desperate attempts will lead to actual advances. Time, as well as future releases of models, will provide the answer.