Meta Snaps Up Apple’s AI Star with $200M Package in Bold Superintelligence Push
Meta Platforms Inc. has made headlines by securing the services of Ruoming Pang, a former top AI engineer at Apple, with a jaw-dropping compensation package reportedly exceeding $200 million. The offer, which includes performance-based stock incentives spread over several years, highlights Meta’s aggressive strategy to dominate the artificial intelligence (AI) space. According to Bloomberg sources, Apple was unwilling to match Meta’s offer, underscoring the intensifying talent war in Silicon Valley.
This recruitment is part of Meta’s broader strategy to build its new “superintelligence” division, officially known as the Meta Superintelligence Lab (MSL). The team is tasked with developing artificial general intelligence (AGI)—systems capable of performing complex intellectual tasks at or above human level. Meta’s approach has involved eye-catching compensation packages that rival or surpass those offered to CEOs in traditional industries, signaling the high stakes involved in the AI arms race.
Pang joins an elite group of AI leaders recently brought into the fold, including former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman, AI entrepreneur Daniel Gross, and Scale AI’s co-founder Alexandr Wang, who now serves as Meta’s Chief AI Officer. Wang’s appointment followed a $14.3 billion deal that gave Meta a 49% stake in his company. These hires underscore Meta’s commitment to becoming a dominant force in the next era of tech, leveraging both capital and prestige to attract top minds.
The lucrative offers being extended go beyond just high base salaries. Meta has deployed massive signing bonuses—often designed to offset equity lost at former jobs—and long-term stock grants that vest beyond the usual four-year window. These packages are designed not just to attract talent but also to retain them for the long haul, ensuring sustained alignment with Meta’s long-term AGI ambitions.
Meta’s moves come amid fierce competition with AI powerhouses like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed that Meta had offered up to $100 million in signing bonuses to lure away his researchers, though he claimed many stayed due to company culture. Nonetheless, Meta has managed to poach over 10 staffers from OpenAI and recently recruited Jack Rae, a principal researcher at Google DeepMind. This brewing talent war could reach a dramatic moment as Altman and Zuckerberg are set to meet at the Allen & Co. conference in Sun Valley.
source: nairametics