- Meta Platforms is pursuing top AI talent from OpenAI, pushing for $6 billion in stock-based compensation to retain developers.
- OpenAI raised average employee equity to $1.5 million and removed a six-month vesting cliff so some shares vest immediately.
- Stock compensation makes up 46% of OpenAI’s $13 billion annual revenue versus about 6% at mature tech peers.
- Meta’s shares fell since August 2025 but recovered roughly 11% in December; several Wall Street firms issued bullish targets for 2026.
Meta Platforms has stepped up recruitment of AI specialists and is pressing OpenAI to provide roughly $6 billion in stock-based compensation to prevent departures.
The push intensified during late 2025 as Meta shifted some strategic focus away from the Metaverse and increased hiring activity, linked to its effort to strengthen AI capabilities.
OpenAI responded by boosting average stock awards to about $1.5 million per employee and eliminating a six-month vesting cliff so some shares vest immediately.
The company now counts stock-based pay as 46% of its $13 billion annual revenue, compared with roughly 6% at mature technology firms.
Meta’s stock fell sharply starting in August 2025, with the largest drop in early November, then recovered almost 11% in the last 30 days of December.
Several Wall Street firms gave bullish outlooks for 2026, including Guggenheim with an $875 target and Wolfe Research with a $730 target and an overall score of 87.9.
Analysts at Baird highlighted both risks and opportunities for Meta Platforms. Colin Sebastian urged investors to “be opportunistic buyers,” and said “embedded expectations are in better balance vs. three months ago.”
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