Ilya Sutskever Spurned Meta’s $32B Offer – Now Zuckerberg Hires His Team
▼ Summary
– Meta attempted to acquire Safe Superintelligence (SSI) but was rejected by co-founder Ilya Sutskever, prompting a shift in strategy to hire key talent instead.
– Meta hired SSI co-founder Daniel Gross and former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman, who will report to Alexandr Wang, as part of its push into superintelligence.
– Safe Superintelligence, valued at $32 billion, focuses on developing safe AI systems and has raised $3 billion despite having no public product and minimal staff.
– SSI is backed by major tech firms like Google and Nvidia, and is a significant Google Cloud customer, while maintaining secrecy about its operations.
– Meta’s failed acquisition highlights SSI’s commitment to independence in an AI landscape increasingly dominated by corporate influence.
The battle for AI supremacy has taken an intriguing turn as Meta’s ambitious $32 billion bid for Safe Superintelligence (SSI) fell flat, prompting CEO Mark Zuckerberg to pursue an alternative strategy, poaching key talent instead. The social media titan’s failed attempt to acquire the secretive startup, co-founded by former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, reveals just how fiercely companies are competing for dominance in artificial general intelligence.
Rather than acquiring SSI outright, Meta has successfully recruited two of its co-founders, Daniel Gross and former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman, both of whom also manage the influential venture fund NFDG. These high-profile hires signal Zuckerberg’s deepening commitment to superintelligence research. The duo will report to Alexandr Wang, founder of Scale AI, who recently joined Meta as part of a $14.3 billion deal that granted the company a significant stake in his firm. Sources indicate Meta will also secure an investment in NFDG, further expanding its foothold in Silicon Valley’s elite AI funding circles.
Safe Superintelligence remains one of the most enigmatic players in AI, despite its brief existence. With no public products, minimal staff, and an intensely secretive approach, the startup has still managed to attract staggering investments, $2 billion in April alone, valuing the company at $32 billion. Its stated mission to develop safe, aligned superintelligence sets it apart from competitors like OpenAI, which has increasingly embraced commercialization.
Backed by industry heavyweights including Google, Nvidia, and top venture firms like Andreessen Horowitz, SSI has become a magnet for both capital and skepticism. Reports suggest it’s one of Google Cloud’s largest external customers for TPUs, while quietly expanding its research presence in Tel Aviv. The company’s refusal to sell to Meta wasn’t just about money, it was a statement of independence in an AI landscape increasingly shaped by corporate influence.
Undeterred by the rejection, Zuckerberg pivoted to a talent-first approach, demonstrating Meta’s willingness to spend aggressively to secure the brightest minds in AI. Whether this strategy will pay off remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the race for superintelligence is far from over, and the stakes have never been higher.
(Source: CTech)
