Elon Musk challenges Zuckerberg: “Do something great” - not pay big bucks for AI talent

Elon Musk has taken aim at Meta and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg, arguing that the social media giant is relying too heavily on high-dollar recruitment tactics instead of pioneering meaningful breakthroughs in AI.

Musk claimed his AI venture, xAI, has successfully brought on board multiple Meta engineers, all without the need for astronomic upfront compensation. Instead, he highlighted xAI’s meritocratic pay structure, welcoming talent with the message: “Do something great and your comp can shift substantially higher”, emphasizing long-term upside over one-time windfalls.

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“Many strong Meta engineers have and are joining xAI, and without the need for insane initial comp,” Musk posted, suggesting that people are joining xAI because of its vision, not just the paycheck. He added that while the salaries at xAI are still “great,” they’re not unsustainably high like some of Meta’s offers.

According to Musk, xAI offers vastly greater market cap growth potential than Meta, and he positioned this trajectory as a more compelling draw than immediate financial rewards. He promoted xAI as the destination for "ultra-hardcore engineers" seeking high-growth, performance-driven environments.

Read more: Meta's $250 million offer for 24-year-old AI researcher signals intensifying tech talent war

Meanwhile, industry observers and rival executives have been sounding alarms about Meta’s aggressive AI hiring spree. Reports cite recruitment packages that may exceed $100 million, and in some cases reach up to $300 million or more. However, many AI experts have reportedly rejected such offers, citing concerns over culture, mission alignment, and fair compensation structures.

Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, has been among the critics, warning that massive pay disparities threaten to erode corporate culture. He argued, “You can’t buy purpose with a paycheck”, underscoring the need for mission-driven engagement over cash incentives.

Read more: Meta hires three OpenAI researchers for new 'superintelligence' team

Meta, for its part, has defended its strategy by stressing its unmatched scale of compute resources, autonomy for researchers, and mission to lead in AI. Zuckerberg has downplayed the notion that poaching is purely compensation-driven, suggesting that top scientists are drawn to the vision and infrastructure Meta offers rather than salary alone