Meta’s determined drive to dominate AI led them to pursue 24-year-old Matt Deitke, initially offering $125 million, which he turned down. Mark Zuckerberg stepped in personally, resulting in a revised $250 million package, including up to $100 million potentially paid in the first year. Deitke, well-known for his work on the AI chatbot Molmo and for founding the startup Vercept, is a highly coveted AI expert. According to The New York Times, Meta’s ambition to lead the AI race prompted the recruitment of the young AI researcher Matt Deitke. After he declined Meta’s initial $125 million offer, Zuckerberg met with him directly. Following their meeting, Meta boosted the offer to a four-year deal valued at up to $250 million in stock and cash. Sources familiar with the negotiations shared that Deitke initially preferred to focus on his startup Vercept despite the initial offer. Zuckerberg’s personal outreach led to a revised proposal doubling the original amount, with a possible $100 million payout in the first year alone.

The remarkable increase was so significant that Deitke consulted his colleagues, many of whom advised him to accept. Who is Matt Deitke and why is he in demand? The report highlights Deitke as a much sought-after talent in AI circles. He previously led the development of Molmo, an AI chatbot capable of processing images, sounds, and text—a multimodal system aligned with Meta’s objectives. His research on 3D datasets and embodied AI earned him an Outstanding Paper Award at NeurIPS 2022, a prestigious distinction granted to only around a dozen researchers from over 10, 000 submissions. Poll Which aspect of Matt Deitke’s profile do you find most impressive? - His Outstanding Paper Award - His AI chatbot development In November, Deitke co-founded Vercept, a startup focusing on AI agents that autonomously perform tasks via internet-based software. Vercept, which employs about 10 people, raised $16. 5 million from investors, including ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt. The report states Meta has invested over $1 billion in assembling a top-tier “superintelligence” research team, recruiting leading AI talent from competitors such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Apple, and Google. Recently, Meta also hired Ruoming Pang, formerly head of AI models at Apple, reportedly offering over $200 million to join Zuckerberg’s Superintelligence Labs. End of Article Latest Mobiles View All - Lava Blaze Dragon 5G — ₹9, 999 - Infinix Smart 10 — ₹6, 799 - Realme Narzo 80 Lite — ₹7, 299 - iQOO Z10R 5G — ₹19, 499 - Realme 15 5G — ₹25, 999 - Realme 15 PRO 5G — ₹31, 999 - Samsung Galaxy F36 5G — ₹17, 499 - Vivo X Fold 5 5G — ₹1, 49, 999 - Ai+ Nova 5G — ₹7, 999 - OnePlus Nord 5 5G — ₹31, 999 View Specs Follow Us On Social Media