Microsoft AI CEO Slams Exorbitant Pay Packages As Meta Escalates Talent War

Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman has announced his decision to steer clear of the escalating talent war in the artificial intelligence sector, opting not to offer exorbitant salaries to attract top talent.

Suleyman, speaking on Bloomberg Podcasts, criticized Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) for its aggressive strategy of offering $100 million signing bonuses and $250 million packages to lure AI talent, according to a report by Business Insider.

Selective Recruitment Process

Instead, Suleyman emphasized a different approach, focusing on building cohesive teams rather than hiring numerous individuals. He highlighted his selective recruitment process at both DeepMind and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT), prioritizing candidates who fit the team culture and possess the necessary skills.

He also noted the industry’s high turnover, citing the recent move of Microsoft’s AI vice president, Amar Subramanya, to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL).

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Tech Giants Go All In

In the competitive AI landscape, companies like Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google and Meta are investing billions in acquiring top talent, with offers reaching into the millions. Despite this, Suleyman maintains that Microsoft will not participate in such high-stakes bidding wars, focusing instead on strategic and cultural alignment in hiring.

Aggressive Hiring Strategies

The AI talent war has seen companies like Meta making significant moves to secure top talent. In recent months, Meta hired Apple’s head of human interface design, Alan Dye, as part of its efforts to expand its consumer hardware and AI technology initiatives. This follows Meta’s earlier move to offer a $1.5 billion package to Andrew Tulloch from Mira Murati‘s Thinking Machines Lab.

Meta’s aggressive hiring strategies have included offering $250 million to a 24-year-old AI prodigy and six-figure salaries for entry-level roles.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has also been active in the talent war, reportedly offering multimillion-dollar pay packages to attract key engineers and researchers from Meta.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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