OpenAI has secured the services of Ruoming Pang, a high-profile artificial intelligence researcher who had been at Meta after joining from Apple roughly seven months earlier. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed the hire, and the move follows a prolonged recruitment effort by OpenAI that culminated in Pang leaving Meta last week.
While at Meta, Pang was responsible for overseeing AI infrastructure for the company unit known as Superintelligence Labs, which is tasked with developing the next generation of AI models. His role placed him at the center of internal efforts to scale and refine model infrastructure.
Meta and OpenAI did not immediately provide responses to requests for comment. News reports also noted that when Pang moved to Meta last year his compensation package was valued at more than $200 million over several years.
The hiring is part of a broader pattern in which major technology firms are competing aggressively for top AI talent. Companies across Silicon Valley have been offering multi-million-dollar pay packages to attract researchers and engineers seen as critical to leading future AI development.
Industry observers say this recruitment intensity has turned into a fierce talent war, with firms increasing compensation and recruiting efforts to secure individuals who can advance large-scale model development and the infrastructure that supports it. In this environment, senior departures and high-value offers are becoming more frequent as firms jockey for position in the next wave of AI innovation.
For stakeholders and market watchers, such moves highlight personnel and compensation dynamics that can have implications for operating costs and strategic direction at large technology companies. While the public details focus on the individual hire, the episode reflects broader competitive pressures in the sector for experienced infrastructure and model-building talent.
Additional context provided in reporting: The hiring was confirmed by an OpenAI spokesperson. Pang had joined Meta from Apple about seven months earlier and left Meta after months of recruitment by OpenAI. Reports indicate Pang joined Meta last year on a compensation package valued at more than $200 million over several years. Meta and other large tech firms are continuing to make aggressive hiring moves and multi-million-dollar pay offers in the competition to build next-generation AI capabilities.