Meta Platforms Inc. has been recruiting top engineers from major tech companies like Google and Sesame AI to build a new team focused on advanced artificial intelligence systems.
According to Bloomberg, Jack Rae, a senior researcher from Google DeepMind, is set to join Meta’s newly created “superintelligence” group. Additionally, Johan Schalkwyk, a machine learning specialist from voice AI startup Sesame AI, has also been hired, sources familiar with the matter said anonymously.
The project is also expected to involve Alexandr Wang, the 28-year-old CEO and co-founder of Scale AI, a data labeling company. Wang is a prominent figure in the AI community with strong ties in Washington. Meta is reportedly close to finalizing a multibillion-dollar investment in Scale AI, which could be announced soon.
This effort is part of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s broader plan to compete with AI leaders such as OpenAI and Google. The goal is for the new elite team to improve Meta’s AI capabilities, especially enhancing its language model Llama 4, and to advance systems for speech recognition and personalized AI features, with a particular focus on developing artificial general intelligence (AGI).
To attract such talent, Meta is offering lucrative compensation packages worth tens of millions of dollars over several years, including stock options. When contacted by Bloomberg, a Meta spokesperson declined to comment on the new hires. Jack Rae confirmed his move from Google to Meta but did not share further information. Johan Schalkwyk did not respond to media inquiries.
Bloomberg also reported that Zuckerberg personally reached out to potential recruits and even met some of them at his homes in Lake Tahoe and Palo Alto. Meta plans to assemble around 50 team members, including a chief scientist to lead the group.
Vahan Petrosyan, co-founder of AI platform SuperAnnotate, commented that only a few people worldwide can efficiently conduct large-scale AI training, making higher pay packages reasonable for companies like Meta.
However, not all experts are accepting Meta’s offers at least one top researcher from a major AI lab has reportedly declined Zuckerberg’s invitation.
Meanwhile, competitors are striving to retain their top AI talent. Google, for example, recently promoted Koray Kavukcuoglu, a leading AI expert, to Chief AI Architect. In an internal memo, CEO Sundar Pichai stated that Koray’s role will accelerate the integration of Google’s advanced AI models into products, aiming for smoother integration, quicker development, and improved efficiency.
