Meta Reportedly Offered $1 Billion to AI Researcher—But Got Rejected

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 Meta Reportedly Offered $1 Billion to AI Researcher—But Got Rejected

In a move that underscores the intensifying race for dominance in artificial intelligence, reports reveal that Meta (formerly Facebook) offered a staggering $1 billion to a leading AI researcher in an attempt to recruit them into its newly formed Meta AGI lab. The offer, spread over several years, was surprisingly declined, highlighting that not even astronomical sums can guarantee top talent in this fiercely competitive space.

According to a report by PhoneArena and cited by Al Arabiya Business, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is determined not to miss the next wave of computing innovation—especially after Meta lagged behind in the mobile revolution. The company is now investing aggressively in AI and extended reality (XR), aiming to attract some of the brightest minds in the field.

Meta has reportedly approached more than a dozen researchers from the renowned AI research lab Thinking Machines, offering them packages ranging from $200 million to $500 million over four years. Some candidates were even promised $100 million in the first year alone. Yet, despite these mind-blowing figures, none of the researchers accepted the offer.

Insiders suggest the rejection was not about the money—many of the researchers already earn approximately $500,000 annually—but rather stemmed from concerns about Meta's workplace culture and leadership style.

However, Meta did succeed in poaching an AI researcher from Apple, signaling its unwavering commitment to becoming a powerhouse in artificial intelligence. Zuckerberg is said to view AI as the critical engine powering Meta’s future augmented reality (AR) smart glasses, such as the anticipated Orion device.

Meta has already invested billions into this vision, rolling out products like the Meta Quest 3 and **Ray-Ban