Sam Altman: AI firms chasing only a few "shiny names"

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman criticised the approach of some firms, during an interview with CNBC, claiming that they are chasing only a few “shiny names”.

“I think there are many thousands of people we could find, and probably tens or hundreds of thousands around the world capable of doing this kind of work,” he said, suggesting that the potential pool of AI talent is much broader than many assume.

Altman noted that the high demand for elite AI researchers stems from the vast economic value they can generate, particularly as firms like OpenAI continue to invest billions in compute and infrastructure.


“If you think about the economic value being created by these people and how much we're all spending on compute… maybe the market stays like this,” he said.

Still, Altman acknowledged that a small group holds the key to the next frontier in AI.

When asked how many people truly have the capability to push AI towards superintelligence, he hinted at a select few. “The bet is that they know how to discover the remaining ideas to get to superintelligence — there are going to be a handful of algorithmic breakthroughs, and a medium-sized handful of people who can figure them out.”

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He described the race for top AI talent as unprecedented, calling it “the most intense talent market I have seen in my career” .

Altman's remarks come amid growing reports of fierce poaching efforts by tech rivals such as Meta.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is reportedly offering huge compensation packages to lure top engineers, drawing talent from major players like Anthropic, Google, and particularly OpenAI. Though Zuckerberg has dismissed the reported figures as “inaccurate,” the competition remains aggressive.