Focus on the BIG picture.
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

AI may be artificial, but the hunger for human intelligence is dangerously real

AI may be artificial, but the hunger for human intelligence is dangerously real

This is a global brain grab — where poaching is policy, betrayal is strategy, and loyalty is a liability. "Good artists copy, great artists steal" (Steve jobs). In the war for AI, it’s not survival of the fittest — it’s survival of the fastest to steal.

The lawless hunt for human intelligence to build artificial intelligence has begun. And in this digital jungle, only the most adaptive — and the most ruthless — will survive.


No Rules, No Borders: The Lawless Pursuit of Human Genius to Create Machine Intelligence

In the wild frontier of artificial intelligence, Silicon Valley has gone full Darwin. The noble pursuit of human-level machine cognition has morphed into a ruthless power grab for human minds — a lawless, multi-billion-dollar hunt for elite AI talent where nothing is sacred, and everyone is a target. No patents. No loyalty. No rules. No borders.

And no one is playing harder — or dirtier — than Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has launched the most aggressive brain raid the industry has ever seen.


Inside Meta’s Covert Campaign to Build the Ultimate AI Lab

"Greed is good!" – Gordon Gekko, Wall Street (1987)

Zuckerberg’s latest moonshot, Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL), isn’t just a research facility — it’s a war bunker. The mastermind behind Facebook has reportedly assembled “The List” — a secret dossier of the top 1,000 AI researchers across Silicon Valley, many hailing from OpenAI and Google DeepMind. These are the minds that will shape AGI, and Zuckerberg wants them. All of them.

He’s not sending recruiters. He’s calling them directly. Inviting them to his homes in Palo Alto and Lake Tahoe. Offering them up to $300 million over four years, complete freedom, unlimited compute, and the opportunity to make history.

“Steal whatever brilliance you can — everyone else is already stealing from you anyway.”

It’s not a strategy. It’s an arms race. A talent war waged one phone call, one poker game, one yacht dinner at a time. In the AI wars, it’s not who builds better — it’s who steals faster.


From Sushi Bars to Superstars: How AI Became the New Football

Gone are the days of free snacks and quirky office perks. This is Premier League tech hiring. AI researchers — not coders, not product leads — are the Messi and Mbappé of this war. Less than a thousand globally. Most in their early 30s. Nearly all in play.

“Talent theft isn’t betrayal. It’s business. And if you don’t do it, someone else will.”

Today’s top minds are auctioning themselves to the highest bidder. Some move in packs — group defections. Others treat offers as leverage. This week alone, OpenAI’s Noam Brown and Google’s Koray Kavukcuoglu rejected Meta's overtures — but not without extracting value.


OpenAI: The Bleeding Heart of the Revolution

Ironically, the company that triggered the AI boom is now hemorrhaging talent. OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT, has seen a mass exodus. Ilya Sutskever, its revered Chief Scientist, walked out to found Safe Superintelligence Inc. (SSI). Meta tried — and failed — to acquire it.

Next went Mira Murati, OpenAI’s former CTO, who launched Thinking Machines Lab — immediately hiring 19 ex-OpenAI staff and engineers from Google and Character.ai. Meta now wants to buy her startup outright.

And who’s circling them all? AppleGoogleMicrosoft, and yes — Zuckerberg, still dialing.


The Billion-Dollar Bounty for Brains

Forget startups. The big money is in human capital.

  • $2.5B: What Google paid to acquire top developers from Character.ai without touching the company itself.

  • $650M: What Microsoft spent to absorb most of Inflection AI’s team and elevate Mustafa Suleyman to lead its consumer AI division.

  • $14B: The jaw-dropping amount Meta invested to buy 49% of Scale AI — all to get one man: Alexander Wang, a 28-year-old prodigy now leading MSL.

“The only crime in Silicon Valley is not stealing talent fast enough.”


Desperation Mode: Zuckerberg’s Gamble

Meta’s LLaMA 4 model flopped. The next version is delayed. Morale inside Meta's AI division is low. Zuckerberg knows time is against him. His rivals — OpenAI, Microsoft, Anthropic, Google — are deploying production-level models.

So, in a decisive move, he sidelined AI legend Yann LeCun and handed leadership to Wang. The message was clear: the future belongs to the new gods of code.


“Steal from Me and I’ll Steal from You”: The New AI Code of War

"Good artists copy, great artists steal." – Steve Jobs

The game has gotten nastier. Just last week, Meta reportedly hired seven OpenAI researchers — including Zurich team leads and senior staff like Shenjia Zhao and Hongyu Ren — plus DeepMind’s Jack Rae. When the hires went public, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman exploded.

He accused Meta of reckless bonus offers and cultural sabotage. Chief Researcher Mark Chen said it felt like “someone broke into our home and stole something precious.” He begged employees to report Meta contacts and promised major compensation restructuring.

Still, the damage is done. OpenAI’s “recharge week” was canceled out of fear Meta would strike again.


Apple: From Poacher to Seller?

The biggest surprise? Apple may be giving up on developing its own large AI models. According to Bloomberg, researchers are demoralized and prepping for exit. Since 2018, Apple had lured over 36 Google AI experts. Now, it may send them back to the open market.


“From Irrelevant Nerds to the Most Wanted People in Tech”

As Meta launched MSL, Altman posted to Slack:

“We’ve gone from irrelevant nerds to the most wanted people in tech (at least).”

He claimed Meta failed to get their top targets, saying:

“They had to go far down their list. I’ve lost track of how many people they tried to make their Chief Scientist.”

And he closed with this:

“I’m proud of how mission-driven our field still is. Sure, there will always be mercenaries. But missionaries will beat mercenaries.”


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
When Cambodia Gave Washington the Finger and Thailand Showed Respect!
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
Thailand and Cambodia prepare for ceasefire talks as clashes intensify
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Trump: Leaders of Thailand and Cambodia agree to meet for ceasefire talks
Mr. Varawut Silpa-archa delivers his message boldly, clearly, and truthfully.
Trump says Obama 'has immunity' after Gabbard, DNI findings emerge
California Clinic Staff Charged for Interfering with ICE Arrest
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
CAMBODIA VS THAILAND: AIR POWER? WHAT AIR POWER?
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
Thailand Under Fire: Defending Sovereignty Against Cambodia’s Political Provocation
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Trump Threatens Washington NFL Team Over Name Change
Atlanta Faces Population Decline as Residents Seek Affordable Alternatives
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
×