Ex-OpenAI employee confirms joining Meta but denies getting $100 million offer, calls it ‘fake news’

The AI talent war just got more intense. Lucas Beyer, one of the three senior researchers recently poached from OpenAI by Meta, has publicly confirmed his move—but is pushing back against rumors of a massive payout.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Beyer wrote, “Hey all, couple quick notes: 1) Yes, we will be joining Meta. 2) No, we did not get 100M sign-on, that's fake news.” He added that he’s excited about what lies ahead and promised to share more details in the future.

Beyer, along with fellow researchers Alexander Kolesnikov and Xiaohua Zhai, was part of OpenAI’s Zurich office. The Wall Street Journal first reported their exit, describing it as part of Meta’s aggressive push to close the gap with AI leaders like OpenAI and Google.

This hiring spree follows claims from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who recently accused Meta of offering OpenAI employees $100 million bonuses to jump ship. “I’ve heard that Meta thinks of us as their biggest competitor,” Altman said, adding that Meta’s recruitment tactics prove that point.