Sign in

OpenAI hit hard? Zuckerberg reportedly poaches top AI experts from ChatGPT maker

OpenAI's key AI talent has reportedly left to join Meta and drive Mark Zuckerberg's AI ambitions.

Published on: Jun 27, 2025, 11:14:56 IST
Share
Share via
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
Copy link
  • copy link

Earlier this week, reports emerged suggesting that Mark Zuckerberg is working directly and hiring top AI talent, offering as much as 860 crore in salary to potential candidates.This includes attempts to poach talent from rival company OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT.

Mark Zuckerberg has been actively looking at hiring new AI experts for Meta. (AP)
Mark Zuckerberg has been actively looking at hiring new AI experts for Meta. (AP)
Shaurya Sharma

Now, in a related development, a new report has come out suggesting that Mark Zuckerberg has been successful in his efforts. Meta has reportedly poached three OpenAI researchers, bolstering its own AI team.

The trio includes Lucas Beyer, Alexander Kolesnikov, and Xiaohua Zhai. All three were reportedly at OpenAI Zurich and had previously worked at Google DeepMind before eventually switching to OpenAI.

OpenAI Trio Quit: Details

OpenAI has since confirmed that the three AI talents have left the company, as said by a spokesperson to the Wall Street Journal, effectively meaning that Meta’s team has been successfully bolstered. That said, it is currently unclear what exactly Meta wants these researchers to do in relation to its AI ambitions, which involve Meta’s Llama family of AI models.

In a separate development, TechCrunch reports that Meta has also hired another researcher from OpenAI, Trapit Bansal, in an effort to develop its AI reasoning models. The report confirmed that he left OpenAI in June. The report says he had been working there since 2022 and played a significant role in contributing to the company’s reasoning model.

MOBILE FINDER: iPhone 16 LATEST Price And More

Mark Zuckerberg's Aggressive Hiring Drive For Meta

Mark Zuckerberg has been aggressive in hiring AI talent. Recent reports suggest that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has personally been reaching out to AI professionals, offering lucrative pay packages.

The Wall Street Journal also reported that he spent $14 billion to acquire a stake in AI startup Scale AI, founded by Alexandr Wang.

From the looks of it, Mark Zuckerberg seems to be going all-in on hiring AI talent, aiming to bolster Meta’s AI capabilities amid the rapidly evolving generative AI race, where companies like Google, Meta, OpenAI, Perplexity, and others are competing to get a chunk of the pie.

  • Shaurya Sharma
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Shaurya Sharma

    Shaurya Sharma is the Technology Editor at Hindustan Times Digital Streams, where he oversees technology coverage across digital and social platforms. With over eight years of experience across editorial, video production, and digital media, his work focuses on smartphones, AI, consumer gadgets, and shaping audience-first content strategies for modern tech consumers. He began his career in 2018 as a fashion cinematographer before turning his lifelong passion for technology into a profession. From spending his childhood immersed in tech magazines, video games, and the latest gadgets to covering the global consumer tech industry today, technology has remained a constant throughout his journey. Over the years, Shaurya has worked with some of India’s leading media organisations, including CNN-News18, Sportskeeda, and Guiding Tech, where he led video initiatives that combined strong editorial storytelling with engaging visual and social-first execution. A graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication from Manipal University, Shaurya has reviewed hundreds of products across categories including smartphones, laptops, gaming consoles, cameras, and wearables. Beyond work, he is passionate about animal welfare, environmental causes, and automobiles, particularly turbo-petrol carsRead More

Stay updated with the latest Technology News, gadget launches, app updates, artificial intelligence and digital trends. Find reviews, comparisons and useful insights from the world of tech.