The race to hire top talent in artificial intelligence has taken a new turn. Despite billion-dollar offers from some of the world’s richest tech companies, a growing number of AI researchers are walking away from these deals to continue building on their own terms. One of the most talked-about examples comes from Thinking Machines Lab, where every employee reportedly rejected job offers from Meta, including one offer said to be worth more than $1 billion over several years.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been trying to staff up his new venture, Superintelligence Labs, by targeting key engineers and researchers across the AI field. He contacted multiple people from Thinking Machines Lab, a startup co-founded by Mira Murati, a former OpenAI executive. Among those approached was Andrew Tulloch, a respected figure in AI development with experience at both Meta and OpenAI. Tulloch, like the rest of his team, turned down the offer, which could have been worth up to $1.5 billion based on stock value and other performance bonuses.
Mira Murati, now the CEO of Thinking Machines, was also a target of Meta’s recruitment push. Not only did she decline the offer, but her team did as well. Meta did not confirm the exact figures when asked by the media, but it did not deny that offers were made. This rejection, despite the large sums involved, reflects a change in what motivates top researchers. Money is no longer the only deciding factor. Many engineers now value independence, trust in leadership, and the ability to shape their work without pressure from massive corporations.
Meta has faced some recent struggles in its AI plans. Its rollout of the Llama 4 model attracted criticism after questions were raised about how it performed in tests. The company is also dealing with doubts about its leadership choices, including concerns about Alexandr Wang, who was hired to lead Superintelligence Labs. Some sources suggested there is unease about his limited experience. These issues may have contributed to the refusals from Thinking Machines staff, who now have both funding and freedom after their own startup reached a valuation of $12 billion in just one year.
