Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman says the company is avoiding headline-grabbing salaries to focus on long-term culture and cohesion.
The strategy contrasts with rivals like Meta, which have offered AI engineers compensation packages reportedly worth up to $300 million.
Suleyman acknowledges talent movement is inevitable, calling job switches across AI firms a normal industry cycle.
All the big tech companies have been in the headlines for hiring talent to plan and develop their AI infrastructure. Many of them, including Meta, also grabbed attention for poaching talent from other companies by offering multi-billion-dollar pay packages. Taking the jab on others, Microsoft says it is resisting the temptation to compete purely on salary. This comes after Meta has offered compensation deals worth up to $300 million spread over four years, including nine-figure payouts in the first year alone to lure the engineers.
SurveySpeaking in a recent interview on Bloomberg’s The Mishal Husain Show, Mustafa Suleyman, chief executive of Microsoft’s AI division, said the company is deliberately avoiding headline-grabbing hiring tactics. According to Suleyman, Microsoft’s strategy is centred on building cohesive teams and a sustainable work culture rather than recruiting star individuals through massive signing bonuses.
Suleyman stated Microsoft’s approach differs from others who aggressively recruit individuals, arguing that assembling strong, integral teams is more effective for long-term innovation. Drawing on his experience as a co-founder of DeepMind, he said selective hiring and gradual team-building have consistently delivered better outcomes than rapid expansion driven by financial incentives alone.
With the demand for advanced AI talent, companies are increasingly willing to pay premium prices to lock in expertise. On the other hand, Microsoft believes that organisational stability and shared values will prove more decisive than short-term recruitment wins.
Suleyman also said that the talent movement also acknowledged that the talent movement across companies is unavoidable in a fast-moving sector. He also stated that the engineers and researchers often shift between major firms, describing it as a normal cycle. Microsoft itself has hired AI specialists from rivals, including DeepMind and OpenAI, while also seeing senior executives depart for competitors such as Apple.
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Ashish Singh
Ashish Singh is the Chief Copy Editor at Digit. He's been wrangling tech jargon since 2020 (Times Internet, Jagran English '22). When not policing commas, he's likely fueling his gadget habit with coffee, strategising his next virtual race, or plotting a road trip to test the latest in-car tech. He speaks fluent Geek. View Full Profile
