Meta tried to recruit OpenAI’s top talent with $100 million signing bonuses, says Sam Altman.

Altman said that so far, “none of our best people have decided to take them up on that.”

Meta recently made a $15 billion investment in data-labeling firm Scale AI.

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, said Meta’s attempts to poach his best staff with generous signing bonuses were not successful.

Altman talked about the competition OpenAI faces from Meta on his brother’s podcast “Uncapped with Jack Altman,” in an episode that aired on Tuesday.

“I’ve heard that Meta thinks of us as their biggest competitor, and I think it is rational for them to keep trying. Their current AI efforts have not worked as well as they’ve hoped,” Altman said of Meta’s $15 billion investment in data-labeling firm Scale AI.

But Altman said he found it “crazy” when Meta tried to recruit OpenAI’s employees by offering them $100 million signing bonuses if they jumped ship.

“I’m really happy that at least so far, none of our best people have decided to take them up on that,” Altman said.

“People sort of look at the two paths and say, ‘Alright, OpenAI’s got a really good shot, a much better shot actually, delivering on superintelligence and also may eventually be the more valuable company,'” he continued.

Meta has a $1.77 trillion market capitalization, and OpenAI was last valued at $300 billion in March.

Altman said Meta’s approach of growing its talent pool by dangling eye-watering pay packages could come at the expense of its culture.