Why Mark Zuckerberg’s AI talent spending spree is no guarantee that Meta will catch up to rivals

In the last week alone, Meta has poached more than a dozen top AI researchers from peer companies, giving each one immediate cash bonuses worth up to $100 million in a frantic effort to keep up with the AI arms race after falling behind market leaders such as OpenAI and Anthropic.

But perhaps Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg should have remembered the timeless refrain from the classic 1960s hit Beatles song that money “can’t buy me love”—or, in this case, buy performance.

Many remember...