Meta Eyes Ilya Sutskever's AI Startup CEO After Acquisition Attempt

Meta's Aggressive Pursuit of AI Expertise

Mark Zuckerberg is actively expanding Meta’s artificial intelligence capabilities through a significant recruitment drive. Recent efforts included an attempt to acquire Safe Superintelligence, a prominent AI startup valued at $32 billion.

Failed Acquisition and Ongoing Negotiations

According to a CNBC report released on Thursday, Safe Superintelligence, co-founded by Ilya Sutskever – formerly the chief scientist at OpenAI – ultimately declined Meta’s acquisition offer.

Despite this setback, Meta is currently engaged in discussions to bring Daniel Gross, the co-founder and CEO of Safe Superintelligence, into the company.

Expanding the AI Leadership Team

This pursuit follows reports earlier this week, as detailed by The Information, indicating Meta’s interest in hiring Nat Friedman, the former CEO of GitHub.

Furthermore, Meta is reportedly considering an investment in NFDG, a venture firm co-founded by Friedman and Gross. NFDG has previously invested in notable AI companies like Perplexity and Character.AI.

Strengthening Meta’s AI Research Capabilities

The potential addition of Gross and Friedman is expected to substantially bolster Meta’s AI superintelligence lab. Their combined experience in leading and investing in AI research facilities would be invaluable.

This move complements Meta’s earlier announcement this month regarding the onboarding of Alexandr Wang, CEO of Scale AI, along with several executives from the data labeling company.

These strategic hires demonstrate Meta’s commitment to becoming a leader in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence.