OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Slams Meta’s ‘Distasteful’ Behavior As At Least 7 Researchers Jump Ship: ‘Missionaries Will Beat Mercenaries’

Artificial intelligence (AI) startup OpenAI’s co-founder and CEO, Sam Altman, has reportedly responded to the recent poaching of its key researchers by Meta Platforms (META).

Altman delved into why OpenAI was a better place for those building artificial general intelligence (AGI) and also why the Mark Zuckerberg-led company’s strategy would pose a problem in the long run, Wired reported, citing an internal memo it had access to. 

The OpenAI CEO said, “AI Twitter is toxic; Meta is acting in a way that feels somewhat distasteful; I assume things will get even crazier in the future.”

“After I got fired and came back, I said that was not the craziest thing that would happen in OpenAl history; certainly neither is this.”  

He faced an internal revolt in November 2023 when OpenAI’s board ousted him on the pretext of a lack of confidence in his leadership; however, he was reinstated within about four months. 

Altman conceded that a “few great people” had jumped ship. “But on the whole, it is hard to overstate how much they didn't get their top people and had to go quite far down their list; they have been trying to recruit people for a super long time, and I've lost track of how many people from here they've tried to get to be their Chief Scientist,” he said.

“I am proud of how mission-oriented our industry is as a whole; of course, there will always be some mercenaries.”

“Missionaries will beat mercenaries,” he added.

He also flaunted the potential benefits of sticking with OpenAI. “I believe there is much, much more upside to OpenAI stock than Meta stock,” he said.

The ChatGPT maker’s CEO took potshots at Meta over its AI strategy, stating that what Meta was doing would lead to very “deep cultural problems.”

He exuded confidence in OpenAI’s research roadmap and also stated that the company was committed to responsibly building AGI.

While driving home the point about OpenAI being in the AI business for the long haul, Altman said, “Long after Meta has moved on to their next flavor of the week, or defending their social moat, we will be here, day after day, year after year, figuring out how to do what we do better than anyone else. A lot of other efforts will rise and fall too.”

As Zuckerberg drives Meta’s “Super Intelligence” efforts, the social-media giant has been rapid in assembling skilled AI researchers and making overtures to AI-focused companies. The company picked up a 49% minority stake, valued at $14 billion, in ScaleAI and also recruited its founder Alexander Wang.

In a post on X, Wang said on Monday that he was excited to be the Chief AI Officer of Meta AI, working alongside GitHub CEO Nat Friedman. 

Wang also shared a list of personnel who have joined the team, which included at least seven former OpenAI researchers.

Separately, Bloomberg reported, citing an internal memo from Zuckerberg, that Meta has restructured its AI group as it eyes the development of “super intelligence.”

He announced the establishment of a new division called Meta Super Intelligence Labs, which will encompass existing teams focused on large language models (LLMs) and AI products, as well as the Fundamental AI Research team.  

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment toward Meta stock toward ‘bullish’ by late Tuesday from ‘neutral’ a day ago, with the message volume at ‘high’ levels.

Meta stock hit an all-time high of $747.90 on Monday amid the company’s stepped-up AI initiatives. It gave back some of the gains on Tuesday before ending at $719.22. 

The stock is up 23% year-to-date, outperforming the SPY’s 6% climb and the Invesco QQQ Trust’s (QQQ) 7.3% jump.

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.

Read Next: Trump Warns Hamas To Come Around After Israel Backs Proposed 60-Day Ceasefire: ‘It Will Only Get Worse’

Share

·

Add us on