In the fierce competition for talent in the AI field, OpenAI has recently taken a strong measure to prevent its employees from being poached by competitors - announcing a groundbreaking employee incentive program. The program is available to all employees of the company, whether new hires or experienced staff, and they will all receive a bonus worth up to $15 million (approximately RMB 107.8 million).
This bonus will be distributed over two years, with flexible options for employees to choose between cash or stock. Moreover, this benefit covers all current and newly hired employees, with the payment gradually released over two years, with basically no additional conditions. OpenAI's move has been metaphorically called a defensive strategy against the "Zuckerberg Recruitment Effect," aiming to stabilize the existing team and resist the strong recruitment efforts from competitors such as Meta.
Previously, Meta had "opened fire" in the talent war. To build its so-called "super intelligence" team, Meta once extended an olive branch to top researchers at OpenAI, offering astonishing conditions: a maximum personal signing bonus of up to $100 million, plus a generous compensation package with an annual salary exceeding $20 million. Such favorable treatment undoubtedly put significant pressure on OpenAI in terms of talent loss.
Facing the aggressive recruitment from competitors, OpenAI quickly responded. The CEO of Hyperbolic AI once humorously remarked that 78% of NVIDIA's employees are millionaires, but now, this proportion has reached 100% at OpenAI. Although this statement may seem exaggerated, it also reflects the tremendous scale of OpenAI's incentive program from another perspective.
The $15 million universal bonus program launched by OpenAI not only became a climax in the history of the largest talent defense battle in Silicon Valley, but also deeply revealed the scarcity of top AI talents and their strategic value in the tech industry. In today's rapidly developing AI technology, top talents have become the core resources that major tech companies compete for. Their presence or departure often determines a company's competitiveness and future direction in this field. OpenAI's move undoubtedly provides a model worth learning for other companies facing similar talent challenges.