Microsoft’s Mustafa Suleyman Rejects Mega Bonuses, Bets on Culture-First AI Hiring

As the global race for artificial intelligence dominance intensifies, Silicon Valley’s biggest players are spending unprecedented sums to secure elite AI talent. Eye-watering compensation packages, some reportedly running into hundreds of millions of dollars, have become a defining feature of this competition. Yet Microsoft is signalling that it will not play the same game as some of its rivals.

Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman has made it clear that the company will not chase the kind of multimillion-dollar signing bonuses reportedly offered by Meta to attract top researchers. Instead, Microsoft is choosing a slower, more deliberate hiring strategy that puts long-term culture and team cohesion ahead of headline-grabbing pay cheques.

Speaking on Bloomberg’s The Mishal Husain Show, Suleyman addressed reports that Meta has offered AI experts packages worth up to $300 million over four years, with more than $100 million paid in the first year alone. “I don’t think anyone’s matching those things,” Suleyman said. He added that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has taken “a particular approach that involves hiring a lot of individuals rather than maybe creating a team,” and stressed, “I don’t really think that’s the right approach.”

Microsoft’s stance comes as it looks to strengthen its independent AI capabilities, even as it continues to benefit from its long-standing partnership with OpenAI. While rivals such as Meta, Google, and OpenAI are pouring billions into infrastructure and talent acquisition, Microsoft appears more focused on building sustainable, tightly integrated teams.

Drawing on his experience as a co-founder of DeepMind, Suleyman explained that he has always favoured highly selective recruitment. That philosophy, he said, continues to guide his leadership at Microsoft’s AI division. Rather than aggressively snapping up star researchers with massive financial incentives, the company is hiring gradually, prioritising people who align with Microsoft’s culture and can collaborate effectively over the long term.

The underlying belief, according to Suleyman, is that enduring success in AI will not come from isolated individuals, no matter how brilliant, but from cohesive teams built on trust, shared values, and a common mission. The goal is to create organisations that last, rather than chasing short-term wins driven purely by money.

At the same time, Suleyman acknowledged that high salaries and frequent movement of talent are unavoidable realities in the fast-evolving AI sector. He described recent departures, including Microsoft corporate vice-president of AI Amar Subramanya leaving for Apple, as part of normal industry “rotation.” Microsoft itself has hired talent from competitors such as DeepMind and OpenAI.

“There’s certainly no ‘no-poach’ agreement — that would not be legal,” Suleyman said. “People can go work for whoever they want to work for.”

While Microsoft focuses on culture-first hiring, its rivals are continuing to invest aggressively. Meta has recently strengthened its AI push with a $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI, while Google has pursued high-profile deals such as a $2.4 billion acquisition to bring in the Windsurf leadership team. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has also claimed that Meta offered $100 million packages to some OpenAI staff, offers that OpenAI reportedly matched to retain key employees.

In a talent war defined by extreme numbers, Microsoft’s approach stands out as a clear philosophical counterpoint—one that prioritises people, purpose, and longevity over sheer financial firepower.