Microsoft CEO Refuses To Outbid Meta's $100M Bribes, Prefers Culture Over Cash
KEY POINTS
- •Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman said he rejects Meta’s $100 million signing bonuses, focusing on selective hiring since 2025.
- •In June, Meta invested $14.3 billion to acquihire Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang, while Google paid $2.4 billion for AI firm Windsurf.
- •Microsoft recently lost their VP of AI Amar Subramanya to Apple but continues hiring incrementally from OpenAI and DeepMind teams.
In the latest Silicon Valley episode of "Who Wants To Be An AI Millionaire?", Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman announced he's skipping Meta’s ludicrous $100 million signing bonuses and $250 million packages. Instead, Suleyman clings to the quaint idea that 'selective hiring' and 'team culture' trump throwing cash like it's confetti. Meanwhile, Meta just spent $14.3 billion buying Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang, basically hiring a human like a luxury Tesla. Google snapped up Windsurf leaders for $2.4 billion like a mid-tier candy bar. Oh, and Apple poached Microsoft’s Amar Subramanya, because why not grab top execs like they’re Pokémon cards? Suleyman says no-poach agreements are illegal—definitely no trust falls in this dog-eat-dog AI jungle.
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Microsoft’s new strategy: ‘We don’t pay billion-dollar bribes, we pay with feelings and vibe checks.’ Silicon Valley’s talent war might as well be a hostage negotiation with fewer hostages and more memos.
Meta is out here throwing $100M signs like pebbles into a well while Microsoft politely waves from the shore with lemonade and good vibes.
If AI talent was soccer, Meta just bought the whole team’s yacht, while Microsoft’s over here trying to win with morale and a kickball.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 12/13/2025 | Author: Lakshmi Varanasi
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