Meta Recruits OpenAI Researchers - AI Talent War

OpenAI Researcher Jason Wei to Join Meta's Superintelligence Lab

According to a report by Wired, Jason Wei, a researcher at OpenAI, is transitioning to Meta’s newly established Superintelligence Lab. This information comes from two sources with direct knowledge of the situation.

Furthermore, Hyung Won Chung, another member of the OpenAI team, is also potentially joining Meta.

Talent Acquisition in the AGI Race

Sources indicate that both Wei and Chung have had their internal OpenAI Slack profiles deactivated.

This move represents Meta’s latest effort, spearheaded by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, to accelerate its progress in the development of AGI, or superintelligence. Zuckerberg is actively seeking to attract leading technical experts through highly competitive compensation packages.

Research Backgrounds of Wei and Chung

During his time at OpenAI, Wei concentrated his efforts on o3 and advanced deep research models. Prior to joining OpenAI, he conducted research on chain-of-thought methodologies while employed at Google.

Chung, who previously collaborated with Wei at Google, focused on deep research and contributed to the development of OpenAI’s o1 model. His research interests center around reasoning and the creation of intelligent agents.

A Collaborative Dynamic

Wired’s sources suggest that Wei and Chung maintained a strong working relationship. This close collaboration may have been a key factor in Zuckerberg’s decision to recruit them both simultaneously.

This approach mirrors a historical pattern, reminiscent of how the U.K. recruited teams with established working relationships during World War II.

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