Microsoft is pursuing the best AI talent at Meta to boost its labor force and AI capacities and invigorate competition over artificial intelligence innovation.

In a recent report by Business Insider that Microsoft is still engaged in its AI hiring strategy and it intends to hire the best engineers and researchers at Meta. It has been reported that the tech giant has drawn up a list of the most-wanted Meta employees and is trying its best to woo them to move with promises to match their current compensation packages.

It comes at a time when Meta has laid off about 3,600 workers amid several rounds of layoffs in the year 2025. Microsoft views selective hiring as a strategic approach to enhance its AI capabilities and challenge one of its primary competitors. According to reports, the focus of Microsoft's hiring drive is on candidates with expertise in MetaLama models, Reality Labs, and generative AI infrastructure.

This is seen as a departure from the generalized hiring campaigns as it uses target hiring to help Microsoft manage resources smoothly as it creates an expert AI workforce. CEO Satya Nadella has made the theme of AI a priority for the future development of Microsoft, partnering with OpenAI and incorporating ChatGPT into its several products.

The rivalry between Meta and Microsoft has now transcended to the area of talent as both tech giants are vying to win the race to control the coming era of artificial intelligence advancements. This new approach in aggressive hiring by Microsoft shows the increased relevance of human resources in the AI arms race.

With Microsoft augmenting its AI staff continuously, the industry watchers believe that the future of artificial intelligence lies in the quality of its talent, with fierce competition to hire elite engineers in the sector.