Meta announces hiring freeze; Here’s what we know

Tech giant Meta has put a pause on hiring any more AI researchers and engineers for now, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Meta had been rapidly hiring top AI researchers and engineers to build its AI division, bringing on more than 50 sought-after AI and ML experts so far.

A Meta spokesperson told Reuters via email, “All that's happening here is some basic organizational planning: creating a solid structure for our new superintelligence efforts after bringing people on board and undertaking yearly budgeting and planning exercises.”

Meta reportedly offered joining bonuses of over $100 million to more than 10 AI researchers from OpenAI alone, moves that prompted the ChatGPT maker’s founder to take swift talent retention measures, including a week-long wellness break and million-dollar retention bonuses for over 1,000 researchers and engineers.

It is unclear how long Meta’s hiring freeze will last.

Meta has been building its AI research team for years, but began hiring aggressively only last year before launching its new AI division, Meta Superintelligence Labs, in June 2025. Since then, it has recruited over 50 top researchers and engineers from rivals like OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and Apple. Several of these hires reportedly received exceptionally high-value compensation packages, according to media reports.

The AI talent war is heating up as tech giants race to poach top researchers and engineers, with OpenAI feeling the talent bleed the most.

Some X.com users joked that with Meta’s hiring freeze, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman can finally unlock the office doors and let his researchers outside. Others wondered if this signals a bigger trend in AI hiring, “Will other companies follow, or was this just about the sky-high pay packages offered to select talent in recent months?”