Silicon Valley and Wall Street are pouring billions of dollars to compete for AI talent. Sam Altman stated in an interview: this is the most intense talent market I have seen in my career. (Background: OpenAI's open-source weight model GPT-OSS: How does Apache 2.0 crown developers? CoT thinking chains unlock security sovereignty) (Additional context: OpenAI's valuation is $300 billion with an oversubscription of $8.3 billion! Annual revenue of $13 billion, with over 800 million weekly active users) In 2025, the most intense battleground in the tech world is not in chips or platforms, but in people. Giants like Meta, Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI are competing for top AI researchers who can lead humanity towards 'AGI' with contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently admitted in a CNBC interview that this is the most intense talent market he has seen in his career, but if you consider the economic value created by these individuals and our investment in computation, you will realize that the market may remain in this state indefinitely. As cash is ignited like rocket fuel, the market, companies, and talent are pushed to unprecedented heights. The salary competition is soaring. In just one year, the AI salary cap has been rewritten continuously. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally approached a 24-year-old researcher, Matt Deitke, with a 4-year, $250 million contract, with $100 million in the first year alone. These packages are mostly composed of high base salaries, huge signing bonuses, and immediate vesting equity. Altman pointed out that the giants are willing to bear the costs because of the hope for breakthroughs in 'AGI' and the billions of dollars invested in computing power behind it. Researcher Matt Deitke was recruited by Zuckerberg into Meta. Altman's perspective on the gap in vision: As the market focuses on a few star engineers, Altman suggests reflection: the truly breakthrough candidates may be far more numerous than the outside estimates. He estimates that the number of individuals with critical capabilities worldwide could be in the thousands or even tens of thousands. 'I bet it’s much larger than people think, but some companies only chase those shining names.' He said: The giants' concentrated bets are a direct response to uncertainty and also a kind of gamble on the hope of a 'genius moment'; the results are currently unknown. However, Altman hinted that real innovation might come from 'a few mid-sized individuals' making key breakthroughs in algorithms, rather than the currently most expensive stars. The key to talent retention beyond money: However, high salaries are just entry tickets; whether you can retain talent depends on culture and mission. Although Meta's offer is astonishing, data shows that recruitment results are not stable. Many talents care about research freedom, cutting-edge challenges, and opportunities to learn from top experts. Microsoft emphasizes a 'startup-like culture', Google highlights world-class computing resources, and OpenAI has announced a $1.5 million retention bonus for all employees. Top engineers want more than just cash; they want to leave a mark at a historical turning point. The chain reaction of industry and capital: In the future, capital is expected to further concentrate on a few AI giants and unicorns, making the 'the bigger, the better' effect hard to ignore. For investors, it is necessary to examine the impact of sky-high salaries on long-term profitability and shareholder returns; for startups, without unique technology or vision, it will be difficult to compete with the giants. However, while money can ignite the flames of war, it cannot determine the outcome; creating an environment that inspires a sense of mission and cooperation is also crucial. Altman pointed out that a vast and diverse talent pool is the true fuel for advancing 'AGI'. For Silicon Valley and Wall Street, how to achieve a balance between high premiums and long-term innovation will determine the technological landscape of the next decade. Related reports: Is your TikTok Shop still safe? AI + fake apps + phishing pages, the new scam 'ClickTok' is targeting your crypto wallet. How long has it been since you seriously thought about it? Princeton scholars warn: AI is eroding the 'legacy of the Enlightenment'. (Lawyer Lin Shang-lun's special article) Did AI defeat three lawyers? Don't get it wrong, this is just the prologue to 'Lawyer 2.0'. "The soaring AI talent competition, Sam Altman: Giants are betting on the chosen ones to achieve AGI breakthroughs" was first published in BlockTempo (the most influential blockchain news media).

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