Meta tried to buy Ilya Sutskever's $32 billion AI startup, but is now planning to hire its CEO

Core Insights - Meta is aggressively investing in AI talent, recently hiring Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang as part of a $14.3 billion investment in the startup [1][6] - The company is also bringing on Daniel Gross, CEO of Safe Superintelligence, and former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman, indicating a strategic move to bolster its AI capabilities [2][4] - Meta's efforts to acquire Safe Superintelligence earlier this year were unsuccessful, as the startup was valued at $32 billion and its founder rebuffed Meta's attempts [3] Investment and Acquisitions - Meta's $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI includes acquiring a 49% stake in the startup while bringing on top engineers [6] - The company is also gaining a stake in NFDG, a venture capital firm co-founded by Gross and Friedman, as part of the hiring transaction [4] Competitive Landscape - The AI talent war is intensifying, with major companies like Meta, Google, and OpenAI competing to develop advanced AI technologies and achieve artificial general intelligence (AGI) [5] - OpenAI has also been aggressive in its hiring, offering substantial signing bonuses to attract talent, indicating a competitive environment for AI professionals [6][7] Key Personnel - Daniel Gross has a background as a successful entrepreneur and AI investor, previously leading machine learning efforts at Apple and co-founding Safe Superintelligence [8] - Nat Friedman has experience as the CEO of GitHub and has co-founded multiple startups, contributing to Meta's strategic hiring [9]