In the intense competition for AI supremacy between Meta and OpenAI, recruitment strategies have taken an unexpectedly personal turn—a phenomenon dubbed the “soup wars.” Mark Chen, OpenAI’s Chief Research Officer, revealed on a podcast that Meta, under CEO Mark Zuckerberg, has actively targeted his team, offering significant resources to attract talent. In a quirky twist, Zuckerberg hand-delivered soup to researchers as part of the recruiting effort, prompting Chen to adopt similar tactics, albeit through outsourcing to a premium Korean soup shop. This theatrical approach highlights a dire reality: fewer than 1,000 experts can push the boundaries of large language models, intensifying the challenge of talent retention. While reports suggest Meta dominates in poaching, Chen emphasizes that many of his team’s members remain committed to OpenAI’s vision of achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI), valuing purpose over mere monetary incentives. This talent tug-of-war underscores the need for genuine connection in attracting top-tier AI professionals.
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