Meta shifts to hiring CEO after failed attempt to buy $32B AI startup

Meta, led by Mark Zuckerberg, is stepping up its efforts to boost its AI team. Recently, the company tried to purchase Safe Superintelligence (SSI), a $32 billion AI startup founded by former OpenAI scientist Ilya Sutskever. When Sutskever declined the offer, Meta turned its focus to hiring SSI’s CEO, Daniel Gross, according to a CNBC report. Additionally, Meta is in talks to bring on Nat Friedman, former GitHub CEO, and invest in their venture fund, NFDG, which supports AI startups like Perplexity and Character.AI.

This move follows Meta’s $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI, which included hiring its founder, Alexandr Wang, to lead a new AI lab. Zuckerberg’s strategy shows a strong push to compete in the AI race, especially after losing key talent and facing delays with its Llama 4 model. The tech industry is in a fierce battle for AI experts, with companies like Google and OpenAI also chasing top talent to build advanced AI systems.

Daniel Gross brings experience from founding Cue, which Apple acquired, and leading AI projects at Apple. Friedman, a seasoned entrepreneur, previously led GitHub after Microsoft’s acquisition. Their expertise could strengthen Meta’s AI efforts. A Meta spokesperson said more details about the team will be shared soon. This hiring spree highlights the intense competition for AI leadership as Meta aims to catch up with rivals.