Thinking Machines Lab, the ambitious AI startup founded by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, has reportedly rejected a compensation package exceeding $1 billion offered by Meta to recruit its team, including top researchers. Multiple sources confirm that Meta extended offers worth between $200 million and over $1 billion, but none of the targeted employees accepted.
Why Meta Was Rejected
Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Superintelligence Labs aimed to lure talent from Thinking Machines with mega-bonus offers and proposed acquisitions. Despite aggressive recruiting, employees rejected the offer due to several key reasons:
- Leadership Concerns: Meta’s AI leadership, especially co-leadership under Alexandr Wang, raised hesitation among Thinking Machines staff. Sources say the vision and organizational culture didn’t align with researchers’ expectations.
- Research Autonomy: Thinking Machines Lab promotes an open-source, collaborator-focused ethos—a stark contrast with Meta’s more centralized and product-driven approach.
- Strong financial runway: Having already raised $2 billion in seed funding, the startup offers team members equity rather than a single large lump sum.
Background on Thinking Machines Lab
Founded in February 2025 by Mira Murati, Thinking Machines Lab quickly hired senior AI talent, including OpenAI co-founder John Schulman and ex-OpenAI CTO Barret Zoph, to build frontier AI systems focused on multimodal collaboration and open science.
In July 2025, the startup closed a record-breaking $2 billion seed round, tentatively valuing it at $12 billion, led by Andreessen Horowitz, with major participation from Nvidia, Accel, AMD, Cisco, ServiceNow, and Jane Street.
Meta’s Acquisition Attempts & the Broader Talent Competition
Meta reportedly considered acquiring Thinking Machines Lab, among other high-profile AI ventures like Safe Superintelligence and Perplexity, but no deal materialized—due to valuation disagreements and strategic misalignment.
Meta’s aggressive AI hiring spree—even offering nine-figure compensation deals—has met resistance from researchers who prioritize mission and culture over short-term payout
Implications for the AI Landscape
- Talent is king: Thinking Machines Lab’s stance signals that top researchers value autonomy and vision as much as compensation.
- Independent labs matter: The success of startups like Thinking Machines might encourage more AI researchers to avoid concentration at big tech firms.
- Meta’s cautionary tale: Even huge financial power may fail to attract elite talent if organizational ethics, leadership, or direction don’t inspire confidence.
Final Thoughts
Thinking Machines Lab’s rejection of Meta’s rumored $1 billion offer underscores the mounting tension between large tech corporations and emerging startups over control, autonomy, and the future of AI. Evidently, talent is increasingly betting on purpose, open science, and founder-led autonomy over lavish compensation alone.
