The offer, according to individuals familiar with the matter, far exceeded typical compensation structures at Apple—even for senior leaders—excluding CEO Tim Cook. Apple chose not to match Meta’s offer, illustrating just how aggressively Meta is pursuing elite AI talent.
The hiring of Pang is part of a broader strategy by Meta to establish dominance in the next frontier of artificial intelligence: superintelligence, or AI systems capable of performing tasks at or above human level.
Meta’s superintelligence team, formally known as Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL), now includes prominent names in tech:
- Former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman
- AI investor and entrepreneur Daniel Gross
- Scale AI co-founder Alexandr Wang, who joined as Chief AI Officer following Meta's acquisition of a 49% stake in Scale AI, valued at $14.3 billion
While Meta declined to comment on the compensation specifics, insiders revealed that packages include a combination of base salary, signing bonuses, and Meta stock grants—with stock comprising the bulk of the overall value. Many of these offers are front-loaded with substantial cash components and tailored bonuses, especially for recruits leaving equity-rich startups or previous ventures.
However, the payouts are not guaranteed. Most stock grants are tied to performance-based milestones, such as Meta’s share price appreciating by a set percentage annually. Additionally, many contracts extend beyond the typical four-year vesting schedule, requiring long-term commitment for full compensation realization.
In pure numerical terms, these pay packages place Meta’s superintelligence team members among the highest-paid professionals in corporate America, exceeding typical compensation for CEOs at global banks or major industrial firms.
The news follows recent remarks by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who, in a June podcast with his brother, revealed that Meta had been offering signing bonuses as high as $100 million to lure top OpenAI staff. Altman suggested that, despite the enormous financial offers, many employees chose to remain at OpenAI due to its internal culture and reputation for innovation.
Still, Meta’s aggressive recruiting appears to be yielding results. The company has reportedly poached more than 10 OpenAI researchers, along with high-level talent from Anthropic, Google DeepMind, and other leading AI labs and startups.
As the AI arms race heats up, tensions between tech giants are becoming increasingly visible. Altman, who said he hasn’t spoken with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg since the poaching began, hinted at a potential encounter at this week’s Allen & Co. conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, adding that he is “looking forward to it.”
Meta’s high-stakes pursuit of AI supremacy underscores how critical next-generation AI systems have become to the strategic visions of the world’s largest tech companies. With superintelligence seen as the next disruptive leap, companies like Meta are investing not just in technology—but in the rare minds capable of building it.