"In the race to develop AI, the humble internship is not so humble anymore. The pay for short-term, entry-level roles in AI now rivals full-time salaries in other industries. Tech heavyweights competing to develop artificial intelligence have famously offered top researchers and engineers enormous pay packages in what's been described as the talent wars. In June, Meta spent $14.3 billion on an investment in Scale AI - a deal widely seen as an acquihire of CEO Alexandr Wang."
"Google made its own move, acquiring Windsurf's top talent for $2.4 billion. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said that Meta tried to lure employees away with $100 million signing bonuses, an effort that Meta Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth said OpenAI later matched. Even at smaller startups, AI leaders can command between $300,000 and $400,000 in base pay, Shawn Thorne, managing director at executive search firm True Search, told Business Insider."
OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, and Google DeepMind are competing aggressively for top AI talent with enormous compensation packages. Meta invested $14.3 billion in Scale AI in a deal widely seen as an acquihire of CEO Alexandr Wang. Google acquired Windsurf's top talent for $2.4 billion. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said Meta attempted to lure employees with $100 million signing bonuses, which OpenAI later matched. Smaller startups pay AI leaders $300,000 to $400,000 in base salary. Short-term internships, fellowships, and residencies in AI now offer pay that rivals full-time salaries in other industries. Top-paying 2026 programs at major AI firms focus on attracting new talent.
#ai-talent-competition #compensation-and-pay #internships-and-fellowships #acquihires-and-acquisitions
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