Microsoft is aggressively targeting top talent from Meta in the AI industry, according to internal documents viewed by Business Insider. The software giant has compiled a list of its most-wanted Meta engineers and researchers and launched a new process to make offers more competitive.
The company’s efforts come as it seeks to maintain its momentum in generative AI, which contributed significantly to its recent earnings success. With a market valuation nearing $4 trillion, Microsoft needs to lure top AI experts to continue driving growth.
Internal documents show that Microsoft is making multimillion-dollar offers for AI talent and has started a process where recruiters mark candidates as “critical AI talent,” prompting higher-ups to respond with top offers within 24 hours.
To make these offers more competitive, Microsoft has introduced special budgets and a new compensation modeler to provide bespoke ranges for top candidates. The company’s internal pay guidelines also include a carve-out for cases involving exceptional AI talent, allowing recruiters to seek approval for higher offers in such situations.
Microsoft’s efforts come as Meta is offering nine-figure signing bonuses to its engineers and researchers, with some reports suggesting packages as high as $250 million. Microsoft has special recruiting teams, including one run by former Google DeepMind cofounder Mustafa Suleyman and ex-Meta engineering boss Jay Parikh, to help make these competitive offers.
Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-trying-poach-meta-ai-talent-big-pay-packages2025-8