Meta is stepping up its efforts in artificial intelligence by bringing in more top researchers from OpenAI. The company has hired Shengjia Zhao, Jiahui Yu, Shuchao Bi, and Hongyu Ren, all of whom have made meaningful contributions to OpenAI’s most advanced models. Their arrival comes shortly after Meta secured Trapit Bansal, a well-regarded researcher in AI reasoning, alongside three others from OpenAI’s Zurich office. The hires are part of a broader strategy to deepen Meta’s capabilities in superintelligence and build momentum following the mixed reception of its Llama 4 model.
Each of these researchers brings critical knowledge to Meta. Zhao played a role in the development of GPT-4, one of OpenAI’s most powerful models to date. Yu previously worked at DeepMind and is known for his work on visual language models. Bi focused on designing systems that combine multiple data types, key for building general-purpose AI. Ren worked on improving model performance after training, specifically for OpenAI’s o3 and o4 mini models. Their combined expertise strengthens Meta’s technical depth and suggests a strong internal focus on model reasoning, efficiency, and adaptability.
This hiring wave comes at a time when Meta is facing pressure to match the success of rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic. The launch of Llama 4 in April drew criticism from some researchers and failed to meet internal expectations, especially when compared to GPT-4. By bringing in talent with experience building those very systems, Meta is not only improving its product pipeline but also reshaping its internal research culture.
The aggressive talent acquisition has sparked tension between the two companies. OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, claimed that Meta had offered signing bonuses as high as $100 million to lure researchers, though he stressed that none of OpenAI’s core team had taken the offer. Meta’s CTO, Andrew Bosworth, later clarified that while compensation packages are indeed substantial, they are structured and not simply one-time payouts. Still, the figures speak to the increasing value placed on elite AI talent and how far companies are willing to go to secure it.
At its core, this moment reflects how central individual researchers have become to the AI race. The competition is no longer just about models and benchmarks is about who can assemble the strongest minds to define the next chapter of AI development. Meta’s recent hires may not guarantee a breakthrough, but they signal a clear intention to catch up, and perhaps even lead, in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
