Mark Zuckerberg's Meta assembles AI dream team after poaching top talent
Meta Platforms Inc. has recently made significant moves to bolster its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities by recruiting top engineers from renowned tech companies such as Google and Sesame AI. The new team's primary focus is on developing advanced AI systems to drive innovation within the company.
Key Hires
Jack Rae, a senior researcher from Google DeepMind, will be joining Meta's newly formed "superintelligence" group. Additionally, Johan Schalkwyk, a machine learning expert from voice AI startup Sesame AI, has also been brought on board. 
Meanwhile, Alexandr Wang, CEO of Scale AI, is expected to play a crucial role in the project. Wang, a prominent figure in the AI space, has strong connections in Washington and is anticipated to contribute significantly to Meta's AI initiatives.
Meta is on the verge of finalizing a substantial investment in Scale AI, a testament to the company's commitment to enhancing its AI capabilities. These strategic hires reflect Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's broader strategy to position the company as a key player in the AI landscape, competing with industry leaders like OpenAI and Google.
Enhancing AI Tools
The goal of assembling this "dream team" is to leverage their expertise to improve Meta's existing AI tools, particularly the language model Llama 4. 
Meta aims to enhance its speech recognition capabilities and develop more personalized AI features, with a focus on advancing artificial general intelligence (AGI).
Attracting Top Talent
To attract top talent in the competitive AI space, Meta is offering lucrative compensation packages, including stock options, worth tens of millions of dollars over several years. Despite these efforts, not all offers have been accepted, with reports of at least one top researcher declining Zuckerberg's proposal.
Competition and Response
Google, a key competitor, has also taken steps to retain its top AI experts by appointing Koray Kavukcuoglu as Chief AI Architect. This move underscores the industry-wide competition for talent and innovation in the AI sector.
Meta's ambitious AI initiatives align with Zuckerberg's vision to drive technological advancement and position the company at the forefront of AI innovation.
