Key takeaways
- Microsoft offered to hire and match compensation for OpenAI workers who quit after former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was fired from the startup and hired by Microsoft.
- More than 500 OpenAI employees signed a letter saying they would resign from OpenAI unless the current OpenAI board of directors resigns and Altman is reinstated.
- Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff also said the company would take any OpenAI researcher who resigned and match their compensation.
- The offerings come amid a shortage of AI talent, as three-quarters of employers report hiring AI-trained talent as a priority and say they are unable to meet their AI-related talent needs, according to a study by Amazon Web Services and the research firm Access Partnership. .
Microsoft offers to hire any employee of ChatGPT maker OpenAI who quits after former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was ousted from the startup and hired by Microsoft, as companies compete for artificial intelligence (AI) talent amid of a boom in demand for AI technology.
Microsoft Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Kevin Scott said in an X post on Tuesday that OpenAI employees “have a role at Microsoft that matches their compensation and advances our collective mission.”
The offer comes after more than 500 OpenAI employees signed a letter threatening to leave OpenAI and follow Altman to Microsoft unless all remaining OpenAI board members resign and Sam Altman is reinstated.
Microsoft shares rose to a record high on Monday after it said Altman would join Microsoft, underscoring the value of leading AI talent as big tech companies like Amazon (AMZN), the parent of Google, Alphabet (GOOGL), and Meta (META) compete for market share in the AI ​​space.
“If Microsoft lost Altman, it could have gone to Amazon, Google, Apple or a host of other tech companies yearning to have the face of global AI on their doors,” the Wedbush analysts said, noting that with Altman leading Microsoft’s AI team “We expect many key scientists and developers to leave OpenAI and head directly to Microsoft.”
Microsoft wasn’t the only tech company to jump at the opportunity to absorb OpenAI workers, as Salesforce (CRM) CEO Marc Benioff said Salesforce would match the compensation of any OpenAI researchers who resigned.
Staffing challenges related to AI talent extend across all fields, and McKinsey found that “a shortage of qualified talent has been a persistent limiting factor in the growth of many high-tech fields, including AI.”
While 73% of employers say hiring AI-trained talent is a priority, three-quarters of those employers indicated they have had trouble meeting their needs amid a shortage of AI talent, according to a recent Amazon study Web Services and the research firm Access. Camaraderie.
