OpenAI has decided to temporarily halt operations for an entire week to give its employees a break after long and demanding work schedules, with many reportedly putting in around 80 hours per week. The leadership wants staff to rest and recharge, but the timing also highlights a growing concern: Meta is aggressively trying to lure away OpenAI’s top talent.
According to Chief Research Officer Mark Chen, Meta has been offering huge sign-on bonuses—sometimes as high as $100 million—to attract senior AI researchers. He warned employees that Meta is aware of the shutdown period and could use it as a chance to sway them into jumping ship. He described the situation as feeling like a violation, comparing it to someone breaking into their home and stealing something valuable.
To tackle this, OpenAI is exploring better ways to retain its people, including potential pay increases and new incentive plans, though they want to keep any new offers fair and sustainable. Beyond easing burnout, the pause is also meant to help the team step back from the rush of constant product launches and refocus on their bigger goal: developing artificial general intelligence (AGI).
In short, the break reflects both the intense pressure on OpenAI’s workforce and the stiff competition from companies like Meta that are willing to pay top dollar to snap up the industry’s best minds.
