Meta’s hiring strategy seems to have taken an unexpectedly personal turn. Instead of relying only on massive salary offers to attract top AI experts, Mark Zuckerberg is reportedly adding a very unusual element to the process—home-delivered soup.
According to Mark Chen, Chief Research Officer at OpenAI, Zuckerberg didn’t hesitate to show up personally with homemade soup for candidates Meta wanted to hire. Chen shared this surprising detail during a recent podcast, saying the gesture caught him completely off guard.
Meta already has one of the biggest budgets for recruiting AI talent, with billions set aside for poaching top names from competitors. But Zuckerberg’s approach suggests that he’s willing to go beyond money and make things personal to compete for the best minds in the industry.
Interestingly, Chen said the idea stuck with him. Over time, he even considered adopting the same approach—but with an upgrade. Instead of homemade soup, he joked he’d bring Michelin-star soup to his own potential recruits.
This isn’t the first time Meta has taken bold steps to secure top AI experts. Earlier this year, reports claimed Meta had offered enormous salary packages—reportedly touching a billion dollars—to lure employees from a new AI startup led by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati. Those attempts, however, were declined.
With tech giants battling for elite talent, it seems the competition is no longer limited to money, perks, or prestige.
Now, even soup is on the table.
