Sam Altman claims OpenAI’s quirky culture and AGI-first focus give it an edge on research.
Meta’s superintelligence team launch sparks, OpenAI response highlighting mission loyalty over short-term success.
OpenAI to review researcher compensation as Meta lures staff with big names and bold promises.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has issued a sharp, spirited response to Meta’s recent spree of hiring AI talent from rival firms, especially OpenAI. In a message sent to OpenAI staff Monday evening obtained by WIRED, Altman laid out a compelling case for why staying with OpenAI is the right call for anyone serious about building artificial general intelligence (AGI).
Survey
His message followed an announcement by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who on the same day revealed the formation of a new “superintelligence” team. This group will be led by former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman and Alexandr Wang of Scale AI. Notably, the team includes several high-profile hires from OpenAI. OpenAI’s Chief Research Officer Mark Chen likened the talent drain to “someone breaking into our home and stealing something.” But Altman’s tone was more defiant than distraught. “We have gone from some nerds in the corner to the most interesting people in the tech industry (at least),” he wrote. “AI Twitter is toxic; Meta is acting in a way that feels somewhat distasteful.”
Also read: What is Gentle Singularity: Sam Altman’s vision for the future of AI?
Here are the key reasons Altman argues that OpenAI remains the best place for AI researchers and engineers:
OpenAI: Mission over money
At the heart of Altman’s pitch is a deep belief in OpenAI’s mission. “We actually care about building AGI in a good way,” he wrote. “Other companies care more about this as an instrumental goal to some other mission.” Altman reinforced the idea that OpenAI isn’t just chasing cutting-edge technology or massive valuation, it’s chasing a vision of responsible, long-term AGI development. “This is our top thing, and always will be,” he said.
While acknowledging the growing pains of hypergrowth, Altman painted OpenAI as a uniquely creative, mission-driven culture, one that is hard to replicate elsewhere. “We have the most special team and culture in the world,” he claimed. Employees echoed that sentiment on Slack. One said, “OpenAI is weird in the most magical way. We contain multitudes.” Another added: “Yes, we’re quirky and weird, but that’s what makes this place a magical cradle of innovation.” Altman didn’t shy away from calling out Meta’s tactics. “What Meta is doing will, in my opinion, lead to very deep cultural problems,” he wrote, suggesting that the company’s recruitment strategy leans heavily on compensation rather than mission.
Also read: Meta and Mark Zuckerberg bet big on AI Superintelligence: Here’s how
He described the difference in approach as one between “missionaries and mercenaries,” and made clear where he thinks long-term success lies: “Missionaries will beat mercenaries.”
OpenAI still has the talent and the edge
Despite the recent departures, Altman was adamant that Meta didn’t get the best of OpenAI. “It is hard to overstate how much they didn’t get their top people and had to go quite far down their list,” he said. According to him, Meta has been trying to poach from OpenAI for a long time without success in landing the company’s most critical talent.
Altman hinted that OpenAI will soon adjust compensation across the research organization to ensure fairness, especially in light of Meta’s lucrative offers. “I believe there is much, much more upside to OpenAI stock than Meta stock,” he said. Still, he emphasized that financial rewards should follow real impact: “It’s important that huge upside comes after huge success.”
Altman concluded with a reaffirmation of OpenAI’s ambitious roadmap and confidence in the team’s ability to lead in the AI arms race. “I have never been more confident in our research roadmap,” he wrote. “We are making an unprecedented bet on compute, and I’m confident we will make good use of it.” As Meta doubles down on AI with deep pockets and marquee hires, Altman’s message makes clear that OpenAI is betting on something different: culture, mission, and a long-haul vision of AGI. The competition is heating up, but in Altman’s eyes, OpenAI’s heart and brains are still in the right place.
Also read: OpenAI to shut down for a week as Meta tries to poach top talent
Follow Us
Vyom Ramani
A journalist with a soft spot for tech, games, and things that go beep. While waiting for a delayed metro or rebooting his brain, you’ll find him solving Rubik’s Cubes, bingeing F1, or hunting for the next great snack. View Full Profile
