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Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) has hired Andrew Tulloch, co-founder of Mira Murati’s AI startup Thinking Machines Lab, marking another major addition to CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s aggressive push to close the gap in advanced artificial intelligence.

Tulloch left Thinking Machines Lab to join Meta after being offered a compensation package that could be worth up to $1.5 billion over at least six years, including performance bonuses and stock incentives, reported the Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter.

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A spokesperson for Thinking Machines Lab confirmed his departure to the Journal, saying, “Andrew has decided to pursue a different path for personal reasons.”

The move follows Meta’s unsuccessful attempt to buy out Murati’s startup, after which Zuckerberg reportedly began approaching more than a dozen employees — including Tulloch — to recruit them directly.

Zuckerberg has been on a hiring blitz, targeting top AI researchers from rival firms such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Alphabet Inc.’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google DeepMind.

Previously, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated that Meta offered some of its staff bonuses of up to $100 million to entice them to switch sides.

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Yun-Ta Tsai, a senior staff engineer at Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) and former Nokia researcher, commented on X, formerly Twitter, “When working for a founder, you want to work for one willing to go bankrupt with their personal fortune despite low chances of success.”

“That is very rare. Most people only want to retire sooner.”

Photo Courtesy: Skorzewiak on Shutterstock.com

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This article Mark Zuckerberg Reportedly Drops $1.5 Billion Pay Packet To Snag Top AI Scientist From Mira Murati’s Thinking Machines Lab originally appeared on Benzinga.com