Thai Times

Covering the Thai Renaissance
Tuesday, Jul 15, 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
Thailand’s Sukiyaki Sector Enters Intensifying Price Competition
Thailand Strengthens Oversight of Major E‑commerce Platforms
Thailand's Destination Thailand Visa Generates Strong Demand for Remote Workers
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
China and U.S. Diplomatic Engagement at ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Thailand’s Digital Nomad Visa Registers Over 35,000 Applicants in First Year
Thailand Launches Fast‑Track Immigration Lanes for Chinese Students and Families
Olympic Gymnast Sunisa Lee Embraces Thai Getaway and Shares Fitness Routine
Thailand Launches Workation Paradise Throughout Thailand Season 3
Thai Communities Showcase ESG Initiatives Through 'Village to the World'
Thailand and Bhutan Enhance Sustainable Tourism Cooperation
Thailand Eases Alcohol Restrictions in Key Venues While Retaining Nationwide Hours
Rubio Assures ASEAN of Preferential Tariff Treatment Amid US Trade Strategy
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
US and China Restart High-Level Dialogue During ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur
Philippines Proposes Tax on Online Gambling Amid Growing Support
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Taiwan’s Distant‑Water Fishing Industry Under Scrutiny for Migrant Worker Abuse
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Thailand's Senate Intensifies Efforts Against Online Scams with New Committee Proposal
All 125 Members of Cambodia’s National Assembly Approve Amendment to Allow Citizenship Revocation for Acts of Treason
Thailand Launches AI-Driven TISI Watch to Monitor Online Goods
Ambassador of Thailand visits Iowa, talks expanding agricultural trade with state
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
Muay Thai Secures Place in 2027 Military World Games
Trump Administration Targets Chinese Influence in Agriculture
Thai Massage Therapists in UAE Set to Obtain Global Certification
Cambodia crime ring: Thailand Records Over 175,000 Online Crime Cases in First Half of 2025
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Thai Military Rejects False Reports of Troop Withdrawal Along Border
China Offers Mediation in Thailand-Cambodia Border Dispute
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Foreign Investment Drives Land Price Surge in Thailand's Eastern Economic Corridor
Thai Court Denies Nestlé's Request to Appoint Asset Manager in Joint Venture Dispute
Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival 2025 Illuminates Northeastern Thailand
Thousands Gather to Celebrate Viral Hippo Moo Deng's First Birthday in Thailand
Thailand's Motorcycle Industry Faces Challenges in Second Half of 2025
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
Thai Industry Faces Economic Challenges Amidst Policy Negotiations
Thai-Chinese Chamber of Commerce Projects GDP Growth Between 1.5% and 1.8% for 2025
Thai Airways Confirms No Plans to Resume Direct US Flights Amid Ongoing Tariff Discussions
×