Zuckerberg’s ‘Fantastic 50’: World’s 2nd richest man is hiring elite coders with million-dollar offers to build the most powerful AI brain

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has taken direct charge of building artificial general intelligence (AGI), forming a new superintelligence team of about 50 experts. According to The New York Times and Bloomberg, Zuckerberg is personally recruiting top AI talent with compensation offers reportedly reaching up to nine figures.

Zuckerberg is offering some of the most lucrative compensation packages in the tech industry to attract top AI talent. According to reports by The New York Times and Bloomberg, these offers range from high six figures to as much as nine figures, with some candidates already accepting the deals. This aggressive approach underscores Meta's intent to outpace competitors like OpenAI and Google in the race for superintelligence by securing the brightest minds in artificial intelligence.

Bringing AGI closer

AGI refers to the idea of artificial intelligence that can match or exceed human cognitive abilities across various tasks. While researchers widely debate the timeline—ranging from years to decades—Zuckerberg has accelerated Meta’s efforts to reach that goal. Frustrated by slow progress, he has invited top recruits to his homes in Palo Alto and Lake Tahoe for one-on-one meetings.

Zuckerberg takes direct control

The Meta founder has shifted into what Bloomberg calls “founder mode.” Office layouts at the Menlo Park headquarters have been rearranged so the superintelligence team works in close proximity to him. This move highlights Zuckerberg’s intense personal involvement in steering Meta’s AI ambitions.

Alexandr Wang and a $10 billion deal

One of the high-profile additions to the team is Alexandr Wang, the 28-year-old founder of Scale AI. Meta is in discussions to invest up to $10 billion in Scale AI—a company last valued at $14 billion with backing from Amazon and Microsoft. Once the deal closes, Wang and some Scale AI staff are expected to join Meta’s superintelligence team.

Meta’s strategy to compete in AI race

With major rivals such as OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Microsoft, and Elon Musk’s xAI also pursuing AGI, Meta is offering aggressive pay packages to secure talent. Compensation ranges from high six figures to over nine figures, and some candidates have already accepted.

Superintelligence vision and product integration

Zuckerberg aims for Meta to be the first company to achieve superintelligence, incorporating its capabilities into consumer-facing products like Meta’s chatbot and AI-powered Ray-Ban smart glasses.

Global tech firms brace for AI disruption

Tech companies view AI as both an opportunity and a threat. Meta is trying to differentiate itself by making its Llama AI model open source. Google sees AI as a challenge to its search business, Apple is aware AI could reduce reliance on apps, and OpenAI continues to dominate the current market with ChatGPT.

Zuckerberg’s long-term bet

Zuckerberg’s plan is to make Meta a leader in the next era of computing through AGI. While the timeline for such technology remains uncertain, Meta’s investment signals the growing urgency and competition in the global AI race.