Meta Platforms has hired Andrew Tulloch, the co-founder of the AI startup Thinking Machines Lab. This move comes after Meta reportedly failed in a $1.5 billion attempt to acquire the company led by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati. According to a Wall Street Journal report, Tulloch was offered a compensation package that could be worth up to $1.5 billion over six years, contingent on performance bonuses and stock appreciation. This high-profile hire is part of CEO Mark Zuckerberg's aggressive strategy to attract top AI talent from rivals to bolster Meta's position in the race for advanced artificial intelligence, particularly following the underwhelming performance of its Llama 4 model. The hiring underscores the intense competition for elite AI engineers in Silicon Valley, with Meta reportedly offering substantial pay packages to recruit from competitors.