Elon Musk lures Zuckerberg’s AI stars, but not with cash

In a jaw-dropping move shaking up Silicon Valley, Elon Musk’s xAI has quietly poached between 14 and 18 of Meta’s top AI engineers — despite Meta dangling what Zuckerberg called a $250 million-plus retention package to keep them on board.

Meta was scrambling, offering some research stars up to $300 million over four years, with as much as $100 million in year one for standout talents like 24-year-old wunderkind Matt Deitke, as per Wired.

And yet — even with these eye-watering sums — it wasn’t about the money.

Musk himself posted on X:

“Many strong Meta engineers have and are joining xAI without the need for insane initial comp (still great, but not unsustainably high). Also, xAI has vastly more market cap growth potential than Meta. And we are hyper merit-based: do something great and your comp can shift substantially higher.”

So these brilliant minds abandoned Meta in a heartbeat — not for the biggest payout, but for purpose, speed, and startup culture.

Tech media confirm xAI has brought in at least 14 Meta engineers since January, with some accounts pushing that number as high as 18 — all leaning into Musk’s narrative rather than Zuckerberg’s financial arsenal, Business Insider reported.

Zuckerberg had personally taken charge of Meta’s AI recruitment blitz — lobbying top researchers directly and offering compensation packages in the hundreds of millions to staff up the new Superintelligence Lab, as per the Wall Street Journal.

But critics say Meta’s heavy restructuring, internal friction, and pressure for super-speed were driving people away just as much as Musk’s magnetism was pulling them in, according to the Verge.

So, what irresistible offer did Elon make that even the richest deal couldn’t beat? Meta is pouring a staggering $70 billion into AI this year alone, having acquired Alexandr Wang’s startup for $14.3 billion and built one of the planet’s most elite AI teams.

Yet starting February 2025, something extraordinary happened — engineers began fleeing.

Not to Google or OpenAI, but to a nimble startup of just 1,200 employees: Elon’s xAI.

This startup couldn’t match Meta’s mega cash, but offered something ten times more compelling — a mission that spoke to the heart and a vision for the future that money could never buy.

Key talents like Xinlei Chen, Ching-Yao Chuang, and Alan Rice all left, even after Meta’s desperate $250 million counter-offer, including $100 million signing bonuses and direct access to Zuckerberg himself.

It’s simple — mission beats money. While Meta aims for commercial AI dominance, xAI is building AGI focused on "maximizing truth-seeking."

Engineers want their work to shape humanity — not just fatten corporate wallets. Plus, xAI promises massive market cap growth potential; Tesla and SpaceX early workers made tens of millions, and xAI could soon surpass both.

But here’s Musk’s secret weapon no one talks about: he’s raiding his own companies too. Over 40 former Tesla employees have joined xAI, bringing hardware expertise Meta can’t buy.

Take Daniel Rowland, former lead of Tesla’s Dojo supercomputer, now crafting xAI’s Colossus data centre. This unique cross-pollination — AI researchers from Meta, engineers from SpaceX, hardware gurus from Tesla — is an advantage Meta simply can’t replicate.

The impact is shaking Silicon Valley. Microsoft is scrambling to match Meta’s offers. Google’s buying entire startups for their teams. OpenAI’s CEO calls it "pro-athlete level" pay. Everyone’s desperate—except Musk.

The brutal truth for Zuckerberg?

Elite AI talent is scarce, and whoever assembles the biggest team wins AI’s future.

Right now, Musk is clearly ahead, and his momentum isn’t stopping anytime soon.

The era where engineers follow money is over. They now chase visionary leaders with authentic missions.

Musk’s massive following on X isn’t just ego — it’s a nonstop recruitment engine. This lesson extends far beyond tech: sharing your real story aligns top talent, attracts investors, and wins customer trust. It shows the power of personal brand being Musk's top competitive edge.