Australian AI expert Andrew Tulloch has reportedly rejected a staggering $1 billion pay package from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Tulloch, a University of Sydney graduate who grew up in Perth, spent over a decade at Facebook’s parent company before moving to OpenAI. In February, he co-founded AI start-up Thinking Machines Lab with former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati. The company is now valued at around US$12 billion (A$18.5 billion).
According to The Wall Street Journal, Zuckerberg first tried to acquire the company, but Murati refused. He then attempted to poach top talent offering Tulloch a reported US$1 billion over six years, including bonuses and stock options.
Tulloch turned it down. Meta has since dismissed the figure as “inaccurate and ridiculous.”
Tulloch moved to the US in 2012 and rose to the role of Distinguished Engineer at Facebook’s AI division. Former Facebook exec Mike Vernal called him “an extreme genius.”
He joined OpenAI in 2023 before co-founding Thinking Machines Lab, which aims to make AI systems “more widely understood, customizable, and generally capable.”
Discover more from Niyi Daram
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
