Sam Altman shrugs off Meta poaching, backs Trump, jabs at Musk
While Meta continues to lure top AI talent, Altman remained unfazed, pointing instead to the strength of his company’s mission and research culture.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addressed multiple hot topics during the Sun Valley conference, including Meta’s aggressive recruitment of top AI researchers, his strained relationship with Elon Musk, and a surprising show of support for Donald Trump.
Altman downplayed Meta’s talent raids, saying he had not spoken to Mark Zuckerberg since the Meta CEO lured away three OpenAI researchers with a $100 million signing bonus. All three had worked at OpenAI’s Zurich office, which opened in 2024.
Despite the losses, Altman described the situation as ‘fine’ and ‘good’, suggesting OpenAI’s mission continues to retain top talent.
The OpenAI chief also took a subtle swipe at Meta’s smartglasses, saying he doesn’t like wearable tech and implying his company has no plans to follow suit.
On the topic of Elon Musk, Altman laughed off their rivalry, saying only that Musk’s bust-ups with everybody, and hinting at the long-running tension between the two former co-founders.
Perhaps most notably, Altman expressed disillusionment with the Democratic Party, saying he no longer feels represented by mainstream figures he once supported.
He praised Donald Trump’s focus on AI infrastructure. He even donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund — a gesture reflecting a broader shift among Silicon Valley leaders warming to Trump as his popularity rises.
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