Tag: News

• Paramount owners Larry and David Ellison want to buy Warner Bros. Discovery.
• They are reportedly getting help from the governments of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi.
• Foreign investors have put money into American media companies before. But this seems meaningfully different.

A deal to combine Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery would create a media behemoth.

And that behemoth could be partially owned by the governments of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi.

So says Variety, reporting that David and Larry Ellison, who own Paramount and are bidding to buy WBD, are using money from those countries' sovereign wealth funds to finance their proposed deal.

If that story sounds familiar, there's a good reason: In November, Variety reported more or less the same thing — which prompted Paramount to call the story "categorically inaccurate".

But even at the time, it didn't seem implausible that Middle Eastern oil money would be used to help the Ellisons buy WBD. And other outlets had suggested the Ellisons might partner with the Saudis, among others.

Now Variety is doubling down on its initial report. Bloomberg also reports that "Middle East funds" are involved in the Ellisons' bid. A Paramount rep declined to comment; I've also reached out to the sovereign wealth funds.

But as I noted before, the fact that it's even possible that Middle Eastern petrostates could have ownership stakes in a giant American media conglomerate — one that would control major movie studios, streaming networks, and news outlets — tells us a lot about 2025. A few years ago, this would have seemed like a non-starter; now it seems quite close to happening.

That's because Paramount, which is competing with Netflix and Comcast in the WBD bidding, still seems like the most likely WBD owner when all of this is done. That's partially because Paramount is offering to buy all of WBD, while Comcast and Netflix only want part of it. And partially because the Ellisons — Larry Ellison in particular — are close to Donald Trump, and we live in a world where people close to Donald Trump often get what they want.

In the absence of anyone involved in the deal talking to me on the record, I can imagine some arguments why a petrostate-backed mega-media conglomerate makes sense:

• The funds would presumably have minority stakes in a combined Paramount/WBD, and it would presumably remain controlled by Americans.
• Foreign investors have frequently owned some or all of big, American-based media companies: See, for instance, Japan's Sony, which owns a major movie studio and music label. And Saudi investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal was a longtime minority investor in Rupert Murdoch's Fox empire; now he has a stake in the company formerly known as Twitter.
• The Saudi sovereign wealth fund is already set to own almost all of video game giant Electronic Arts, and no one seems to have an issue with that.

A Middle East-financed deal for WBD could raise some eyebrows

All true! But I still think that there are differences that will certainly raise eyebrows, and maybe more forceful pushback, if a combined Ellison/Middle East deal goes forward.

One obvious point: It's one thing to have a private company or investor from another company taking a stake in an American media giant; it's another to have one that's directly controlled by a foreign government.

Another one: As media companies continue to consolidate, the power of the remaining ones gets amplified. On their own for instance, CBS News and CNN have dwindling influence and financial power; a company that combines the two, though, might have more meaningful sway. You can argue that the Saudis owning one of the world's biggest video game companies is also meaningful, but the video game industry never gets the attention it deserves, and that seems likely to continue in this case.

And last: It's possible that Middle Eastern countries are investing in an American media conglomerate solely for a financial return, and would have zero interest in the content that conglomerate makes and distributes. But that's an assertion that many folks would have a hard time taking at face value. And while lots of American companies have sought Middle Eastern funding for years, there was a pause after 2018, following the murder and dismemberment of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi — a shocking act the CIA concluded was ordered by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman himself. (He has denied involvement.)

Now bin Salman might end up owning a piece of major American news outlets and other media arms. How's that going to go over?

• AI is a powerful tool to use to analyze the large troves of HR data within companies.
• Companies can use AI analysis to identify workforce talent and skills gaps.
• This article is part of "How AI is Changing Talent", a series exploring how AI is reshaping hiring, development, and retention.

As technology continues to advance and companies look to remain competitive in meeting market demand, the skills that employees will need are also evolving. A growing number of companies are exploring how to address these skills and workforce gaps with artificial intelligence.

HR can use AI to reveal "patterns and gaps" and benchmark "current workforce skills against evolving business needs or industry trends," said Lauren Winans, CEO and principal human resources consultant at Next Level Benefits.

What AI offers in this realm isn't exactly new, said Will Howard, practice lead of HR trends and AI at McLean & Company. HR teams have long collected and analyzed workforce data manually, he said, but AI can make the process more "feasible and efficient" through automation.

Here, HR experts share four factors to consider when using AI to identify workforce and skills gaps:

1. Organize your data

Organizations have troves of HR data, such as job advertisements, performance reviews, and employee job histories and training, that can be mined to uncover skills gaps, said Sanmay Das, associate director of AI for Social Impact at Virginia Tech. But this data often lacks "quality and completeness," Winans said.

Before adopting AI, organizations must embrace "good data hygiene" by ensuring the data they plan to analyze is accurate, current, and consistent, said George Denlinger, operational president of US technology talent solutions at Robert Half.

Otherwise, AI insights will be limited or inaccurate. "The phrase 'garbage in, garbage out' rings especially true here," Howard said.

Companies need a clear and consistent process for collecting, maintaining, and updating workforce data, Howard said. For instance, standardize job descriptions, including specific skills, knowledge, and activities, so that AI can make accurate comparisons.

2. Analyze the insights

Large language models, like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, can summarize and report on data, Das said. But, for a deeper analysis, companies often need specialized AI tools designed for HR, including workforce planning and analytics, Howard said. Workday and Disco are some examples.

Ultimately, AI tools can leverage your existing data and identify strengths and weaknesses in your workforce, Denlinger said.

For example, with data on employee performance for a specific project and sales forecasts, AI could suggest the skills or roles necessary to meet the organization's future demands, Howard said. Examining an employee's job and training history, AI could quantify their capacity to acquire new skills via upskilling or reskilling, Winans said.

IBM, for example, uses an AI system that analyzes its employees' digital footprints within the company to identify their skills and predict skill proficiency levels. The company then uses that analysis to offer employees personalized educational opportunities and career coaches, helping them identify job opportunities and new career paths. In 2024, IBM reported that the approach had boosted employee engagement by 20%.

3. Understand AI's limitations

While AI can analyze data, it may overlook nuances and the human aspects of what makes a role successful, such as small tasks not listed in a job description, soft skills, or the behind-the-scenes efforts employees put in, Das said.

Companies should also focus on data privacy, trust, and employee buy-in, Winans said. Employees may worry about how their data is being used and how it could impact them, such as changes to their roles or responsibilities. She suggested communicating transparently about what data will be used, how it will be used, and why.

Data literacy is another challenge: HR teams must know what to do with the AI results, Howard said. "Even the most advanced AI technology still requires a human to put the results into a business context and communicate and take action on the insights within the organization."

For instance, the AI analysis on skills gaps should inform decisions about new roles the company needs to create or the training necessary for existing employees, Winans said.

4. Refine your strategy

"Skill requirements evolve rapidly," Winans said. Using AI to uncover skills gaps should be a "continuous process, not a one-time audit," she added.

While AI can be useful for tracking ongoing skills gaps, Denlinger said this is still an emerging use of the technology that will likely evolve.

Al also isn't a "silver bullet that can take you from zero to best in class," Howard said. "Organizations shouldn't view AI as a shortcut. It still requires the foundational skills and structures that have always been there," such as clean data and employees confident in using the technology.

Then, he said, AI "becomes the cherry on top that can take your workforce planning and data analysis to the next level."

• Ken Griffin's $71 billion Citadel rolled out an AI assistant for its teams of stockpickers this year.
• The firm's chief technology officer, Umesh Subramanian, said there is no requirement to use AI.
• The Miami-based hedge fund has been using AI and machine learning in some fashion for 10 years.

Ken Griffin's stockpickers are using an internal chatbot to speed up their processes and find new info at his $71 billion hedge fund.

The tool, rolled out earlier this year, helps the firm's legions of fundamental equity investors find hidden details in public filings, summarize research from sell-side banks, track mentions of certain key words from executives, and more.

But the human part of these flesh-and-blood traders remains mission critical, according to Umesh Subramanian, Citadel's chief technology officer.

Speaking at a New York conference on Wednesday, he said, "We are also careful that it's not used in the wrong way."

"We don't want PMs offloading their human investment judgment to AI. This is a tool to further accelerate their research process," he said.

Citadel is far from the only hedge fund with an internal chat tool. Managers such as Balyasny, Man Group, Viking Global, and more have rolled out AI helpers to assist their investment teams. Citadel had already been using AI or machine learning in some form for roughly a decade.

But decision-making has yet to be turned over wholesale to the machines, aside from a few funds, such as Bridgewater, which is allowing AI to run a strategy uninhibited by people. Even quant fund managers — which trade markets using systematic, computer-run strategies — believe humans are still a critical part of investing.

At Citadel, employees aren't forced to use AI, Subramanian told Business Insider in an interview.

"We don't have a requirement to use AI, just like we don't go around saying you are required to use Java as a programming language. That's backward," he said. The new tool has close to full adoption across stock-picking teams, the firm says.

While companies like Microsoft and Shopify have mandated the use of AI by their employees, Subramanian said, "Where that goes wrong is adopting AI for the sake of adoption, rather than because it's actually needed."

"That is a slippery slope," he said.

• The US has a new one-way attack drone task force in the Middle East.
• The Low-cost Uncrewed Combat Attack Drones resemble Iranian-designed Shahed loitering munitions.
• LUCAS designs were unveiled at the Pentagon earlier this year.

The US military revealed Wednesday that it has a new one-way attack drone task force in the Middle East — and it's already fielded a squadron of low-cost attack drones.

Task Force Scorpion Strike set up a squadron of Low-cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System drones, which resemble Iranian-designed Shahed drones.

News of the one-way attack drone task force comes just one day after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shared his "drone dominance" plan envisioning a $1 billion investment over two years in production and fielding of hundreds of thousands of cheap attack drones, increasingly an integral part of modern warfare.

US Central Command, the military's combatant command that oversees presence and operations in the Middle East, announced the new LUCAS drone squadron on Wednesday, saying that the drones were already deployed and being used by personnel in the area.

The LUCAS drones boast long ranges and have autonomous features, CENTCOM said, and can be launched from catapults, rocket-assisted takeoff, and mobile ground and vehicle systems.

In the announcement on the task force, Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM's commander, said that "equipping our skilled warfighters faster with cutting-edge drone capabilities showcases US military innovation and strength, which deters bad actors."

Video footage shared by the command showed many of the drones sitting on a tarmac at an undisclosed location in the region.

Over a dozen prototype low-cost attack drone designs were on display at the Pentagon this past July. These drones are American-made alternatives to loitering munitions like Iran's Shahed-136, one of several one-way attack drones that Russia has used against Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure throughout the war.

Russia has been firing Iranian-made and homegrown Shaheds in large-scale air strikes on Ukraine, pairing hundreds of them with missiles to complicate strike packages and attempt to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses without draining its more limited stockpiles of expensive precision-guided munitions.

The effectiveness of Shahed-style drones has grabbed the attention of US Army leadership, with the commanding general of the service's 25th Infantry Division out of Hawaii saying in October that a low-cost, easily produced and assembled drone like the Shahed was exactly the type of capability the Army wants in the Indo-Pacific region.

During the display at the Pentagon in July, a fact sheet paired with a design from American engineering firm SpektreWorks said the Shahed-style LUCAS could be useful for US forces in the Indo-Pacific region by "providing a viable threat emulator" and offering "a low operational and maintenance cost compared to traditional munitions systems or aircraft."

The Trump administration has made boosting production of drones a top priority in order to keep up with adversaries like Russia and China, as well as meet the increasing threat drones present in modern warfare.

In May, President Donald Trump praised the cost of Iranian drones, roughly $35,000 to $40,000, adding that the drones were "very good too, and fast and deadly," and were responsible for "killing tremendous numbers of people" in the Ukraine war.

The Pentagon is pouring more money into all types of drones, seeing them as force multipliers, cheaper strike options than missiles, and a way to extend surveillance reach.

• Strong demand for the iPhone 17 is driving a turnaround for Apple in China.
• Research firm IDC found that Apple led smartphone shipments in China in October and November.
• Apple told investors it expects to return to growth in China in the quarter that ends in December.

Things are looking up for Apple in China.

The tech giant is expected to lead in smartphone shipments in 2025 in a region that has previously been a low point, according to a research report published by the International Data Corporation on Tuesday.

In China — Apple's largest market — there has been massive demand for the new iPhone 17, which is propelling Apple toward a record 2025. IDC predicts 247 million iPhones will be shipped globally this year.

Apple was "miles ahead of the competition" in China in October and November, with a market share of more than 20%, according to IDC's monthly sales data in China.

"This turns a previously projected 1% decline in China for 2025 into a positive 3% growth, that's a phenomenal turnaround," Nabila Popal, senior research director with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, said in the report.

It's a big leap from the 9% decline in iPhone shipments in China that IDC reported in April, a few months before the iPhone 17 lineup was announced. The firm also found that Apple was the only major smartphone maker to lose market share in the first quarter of 2025.

Globally, IDC forecasts that worldwide smartphone shipments will grow 1.5% year over year, driven by Apple's performance in the holiday quarter. Apple told analysts in October that it expects revenue for the December quarter to be the "best ever" for both the company and the iPhone.

Although Apple CEO Tim Cook's prediction of returning to growth in China seems to be on track so far, the iPhone maker showed signs of a struggle in its most recent quarter. Cook said a supply constraint in China drove a 4% year-over-year decline during the period.

Apple faces local competition in China as rivals like Huawei and Xiaomi release new smartphone lineups. The iPhone Air, which was announced alongside the iPhone 17, also faced early challenges in China, where the eSIM-only phone was unavailable for some time after the global release. Still, Cook said he "couldn't be more pleased" with how well the iPhone 17 was being received in China during its first month on the market.

The iPhone's success has spread across regions, including the US and Western Europe. IDC forecasts that overall global shipments will grow 6.1% year-over-year in 2025.

"This calendar year will not only be a record period for Apple in terms of shipments but also in value, which is forecast to exceed $261 billion," Popal said.

• Real estate data giant CoStar Group claims Crexi stole tens of thousands of its photos.
• Crexi countersued CoStar over its dominance of the market for office-leasing data.
• Alex Spiro, who has represented big-name clients like Elon Musk and Jay Z, is now defending Crexi.

Real estate data company Crexi has brought on celebrity lawyer Alex Spiro — known for defending billionaires, rappers, and professional athletes — in its scrap with CoStar Group.

According to court filings on Wednesday, Spiro will now defend Crexi in its legal battle with the real estate data giant. The $3,000-an-hour lawyer has represented clients like Elon Musk, Jay-Z, and Megan Thee Stallion, and has also worked for a variety of businesses in disputes with short-sellers, rivals, and regulators.

CoStar, a $29 billion company known for its real-estate data and deals platforms, claims that Crexi used offshore workers in India to "copy and crop" photos from CoStar's Loopnet website, omitting CoStar's watermark. After a mixed ruling in June that affirmed CoStar's ownership of the photos, the case, which was filed in 2020, is headed to trial.

Crexi responded by accusing CoStar of abusing its market power and violating US antitrust law. That countersuit was originally thrown out, but an appeals court revived Crexi's claims earlier this year. Crexi wanted both cases to go to trial at the same time, but a judge rejected that, so Crexi is playing defense first.

CoStar is a dominant player in real-estate data and has a history of winning legal fights. Bringing on a big name like Spiro is a shot across the bow. It could also catch the attention of other CoStar rivals, including Zillow, which was sued by CoStar over the summer based on similar allegations of stealing copyrighted photos from the CoStar-owned website Homes.com.

Spiro and representatives for CoStar did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"CoStar will finally be held accountable for years of misconduct against the commercial real estate industry," Crexi said in a statement. "We're excited to welcome Alex Spiro and Quinn Emanuel to join this fight and lead our trial team."

Lawyers from Latham & Watkins are representing CoStar.

The Crexi dispute is similar to a previous legal fight between CoStar and Xceligent, a commercial real estate data company that was spun out from Loopnet in 2012. It went bankrupt in 2017, about a year after it was sued by CoStar for allegedly stealing thousands of copyrighted photos.

Xceligent had also accused CoStar of violating monopoly laws, but those claims failed.

• I was hoping to grow in my career, so I quit my job when I landed a better position.
• But that new job fired me, and I was left to search for something new.
• Now I'm working in a new field and struggling to make ends meet.

Late last year, after working at a county government job for 13 years, I accepted a better position with another city.

The decision to leave had been simple; the old job had become stagnant, with few opportunities for professional growth. I had spent almost a year looking for something new, and I practically bulldozed the exit door when the offer finally came in.

Six months later, however, my new employer decided not to continue our working relationship. Their decision blindsided me, and I've spent the last year searching for a new career while questioning my decision to ever leave in the first place.

I was eager to grow in my career

Before I quit my first job, I focused on expanding my skill set so that I would be more attractive to employers in my field.

Even before I began searching for a new job, I had spent years attending leadership classes, taking on extra projects, mentoring new employees, and completing courses.

I was doing everything I could think of to excel in my chosen field of local government. But when I finally had the chance to grow in a role that was a better opportunity, the outcome was failure and expulsion.

I'm now struggling with what's next

Since I couldn't land another job within county government after being let go, I've had to look for jobs in other fields. Changing careers after my termination has not been easy. I live in Florida, where insurance sales and hospitality appear to be the two industries hiring the most these days.

After my termination, I experienced months of resentment, depression, anxiety, and an overwhelming sense of inferiority.

Even when I found a part time job that paid the bills, all the negative feelings came with me. I felt as shattered and useless as a broken mirror. I had gone out and done my best, and my best hadn't been good enough.

As I've started to explore new career options, I began to wonder if I was experiencing a midlife crisis. I used to believe a midlife crisis was just the sense that you hadn't accomplished everything you thought you should have by the time you hit your 40s, to which the appropriate response was a time of renewed and hectic efforts to accomplish something flashy or to acquire great wealth and material to show your neighbors that you were doing just fine.

I was prepared to meet that crisis, but not for professional failure and crushing disappointment in my mid-40s. So, the only conclusion I could come to was that this was my fault for daring to try something different.

I'm still trying to move forward

Even though I'm still feeling down, I've started reaching out to friends and contacts. I got more involved in volunteering within the community.

I'm now working part-time in a new field. I'm paying the bills on my small income and dipping into my retirement funds when needed.

I'm not sure I regret leaving my first gig, but it's unfortunate how everything turned out, especially now I'm being forced to start over.

But I'm trying to reframe all of this as a positive thing.

Winston Churchill said that success was going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm. He also famously failed at multiple careers before becoming prime minister. I wonder if, at his lowest periods of life, Churchill ever had to drive by both of his old offices five times a week, and whether he ever felt regret that things hadn't turned out how he'd wanted.

I think he probably did, but then he put his hat back on and got back to the job of living. It seems like a good idea when nothing else makes sense.

• GM's CEO previously said she hadn't given a lot of thought to the snub of Elon Musk at a 2021 White House EV event.
• Mary Barra later said she privately told then-President Joe Biden that Tesla deserved "a lot of that credit" that GM was getting.
• The snubbing contributed to a massive rift between Biden and Musk, who later campaigned for Trump.

Sometimes it's what a President doesn't say that speaks the loudest.

In particular, the absence of Elon Musk and his Tesla cars at the May 2021 White House EV summit turned out to be a consequential snubbing.

When asked at the time what she thought about the episode, GM CEO Mary Barra said she hadn't given a lot of thought to the snub, even as her company was heaped with praise for leading the EV revolution.

Speaking Wednesday at the New York Times Dealbook Summit, she told interviewer Andrew Ross Sorkin that she had a private conversation with then-President Joe Biden to set the record straight.

"He was crediting me and I said, 'Actually, I think a lot of that credit goes to Elon and Tesla,'" Barra said. "You know me, Andrew. I don't want to take credit for things."

The Tesla snubbing episode contributed to a massive rift between Biden, who credited labor unions like the United Auto Workers for his recent electoral victory, and Musk, who later campaigned for Trump and served as a key advisor to the White House earlier this year.

Musk made no secret of his anger at GM getting credit at Tesla's expense.

"Let's not forget the White House giving Tesla the cold shoulder, excluding us from the EV summit and crediting GM with 'leading the electric car revolution' in the same quarter that they delivered 26 electric cars (not a typo) and Tesla delivered 300 thousand," he wrote in a December 2021 post on X.

Even Biden's Vice President and later Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris later said it was a "mistake" not to extend an invitation to the billionaire businessman.

"If you are convening the nation's manufacturers of electric vehicles and the biggest player in the field is not there, it simply doesn't make sense," she wrote in her book about the 2024 campaign. "Musk never forgave it."

• Airbus has had a turbulent week.
• It issued a software recall for an issue found after a JetBlue flight suddenly pitched down.
• Then it confirmed a quality issue with metal panels affecting some planes already in service.

It's been a bumpy few days for Airbus and its best-selling airliner.

The planemaker issued a software recall for some 6,000 A320 family jets on Friday, before confirming on Monday that it had identified a quality issue with panels on some planes.

Markets were spooked when Reuters first reported the quality issue: Airbus shares dipped as much as 11%, their biggest decline since April.

It pared some losses after the company issued a statement. Investors also appeared somewhat reassured when shares rose 4% on Wednesday, even as Airbus cut its 2025 delivery target.

Even with that rise, Airbus' share price remains down by around 8% over the past month.

However, hundreds of A320s need to be inspected, including some that have already been delivered to airlines.

This episode began on October 30, when a JetBlue A320 suddenly pitched downward during a flight from Cancún to Newark. At least 15 people were injured, and the plane diverted to Tampa, Florida.

Europe's aviation safety agency then issued an emergency airworthiness directive on November 28.

It said Airbus found the JetBlue incident was due to a malfunctioning computer system called the ELAC, which controls the plane's pitch and roll.

Airbus said that "intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls." A preliminary report into the incident is yet to be published.

Thousands of planes required software fixes over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Although many airlines were able to roll this out overnight with minimal disruption. Fewer than 100 A320s were still grounded by Monday.

Another issue rears its head

Following a Reuters report, Airbus confirmed a quality issue with metal panels on some A320 aircraft, the firm's best-selling plane and the main competitor to the Boeing 737.

An Airbus spokesperson told Business Insider that a supplier's production process resulted in panels being either too thick or too thin.

Citing a leaked presentation, Reuters and Bloomberg reported that up to 628 planes were affected, with over 100 already delivered to airlines.

Airbus declined to comment on the precise figures, but confirmed that planes potentially affected include both those in production and those in service.

The spokesperson said up to five panels per aircraft could be affected, located behind the cockpit and on both sides of the two forward doors. They also said it was not a safety issue.

"As it always does when faced with quality issues in its supply chain, Airbus is taking a conservative approach and is inspecting all aircraft potentially impacted — knowing that only a portion of them will need further action to be taken," they added.

Airbus was previously targeting 820 commercial aircraft deliveries this year, but has now reduced that to 790.

This month typically sees a big push in production as manufacturers try to reach their annual targets.

Deliveries are a key metric for financial analysts, and the target reduction reassured some investors. Airbus also maintained its financial guidance for the year.

It's due to report November's delivery figures on Friday.

The European planemaker's share price is still up nearly 24% this year. However, the past few days serve as a reminder of how things can suddenly change in aviation.

Airbus' A320 overtook the Boeing 737 as the most popular commercial airliner this year, following safety concerns at the American manufacturer.

But Boeing has been turning around, with the latest evidence coming on Tuesday. Its share price jumped 8% after its chief financial officers told a UBS conference that deliveries were expected to increase next year, and it is up nearly 30% since December 2024.

Have something to share? Contact this reporter via email at psyme@businessinsider.com or Signal at syme.99

• OpenAI has been raided for some of its talent in recent years by rivals like Meta.
• OpenAI's chief research officer Mark Chen said Meta went after "half" of his direct reports.
• Chen said his colleagues declined, but Meta has successfully recruited some OpenAI talent.

It's been said that the way to one's heart is through their stomach. It sounds like Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wanted to see if the AI talent war, or at least one skirmish, could be won the same way.

Mark Chen, chief research officer at OpenAI, recently said that Zuckerberg personally delivered homemade soup to an OpenAI employee as part of a campaign to recruit the unnamed worker to Meta.

"It's been kind of interesting and fun to see it escalate over time. You know, some interesting stories here are Zuck actually went and hand-delivered soup to people that he was trying to recruit from us," Chen told Ashlee Vance on the author's "Core Memory" podcast.

Chen said Zuckerberg's move was "shocking to me at the time" but since then, he said he's returned the favor.

"I've also delivered soup to people we've been recruiting from Meta," Chen said, laughing.

The poaching efforts focused on OpenAI's researchers and engineers underscores the company's position in the AI race, Chen said.

"We're always under attack," Chen told Vance. "This is how I know we're in the lead, right? Any company starts, where do they try to recruit from? It's OpenAI. They want the expertise, they want our vision, our philosophy of the world. And we've made so many star researchers, right? I think OpenAI, more than anywhere else, has been a place that makes names in AI today."

Arguably, no other rival tech company has been as aggressive in the so-called AI talent wars against OpenAI as Zuckerberg's Meta.

In June, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that Meta tried to lure some of his engineers with $100 million signing bonuses. The CEO said at the time that none of his top talent was poached, but ChatGPT co-creator Shengjia Zhao later joined Meta's Superintelligence Lab.

Chen said that Meta tried to recruit "half" of Chen's direct reports unsuccessfully, but that OpenAI has been "fairly good" at retaining top talent. A Meta spokesperson declined to comment.

Top AI researchers have become a hot commodity in the AI race, as it's generally believed that there is a relatively small number of researchers and engineers capable of achieving breakthroughs or building new LLMs from the ground up.

"It's like looking for LeBron James," Databricks' vice president of AI, Naveen Rao, told The Verge's Command Line newsletter last year. "There are just not very many humans who are capable of that."