Metaâs 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 processâhome-delivered soup.
According to Mark Chen, Chief Research Officer at OpenAI, Zuckerberg didnât 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 Zuckerbergâs approach suggests that heâs 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 approachâbut with an upgrade. Instead of homemade soup, he joked heâd bring Michelin-star soup to his own potential recruits.
This isnât the first time Meta has taken bold steps to secure top AI experts. Earlier this year, reports claimed Meta had offered enormous salary packagesâreportedly touching a billion dollarsâto 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.
