Sam Altman says the pool of AI talent capable of driving breakthroughs is far larger than commonly believed, challenging the notion that only a few "shiny names" hold the key to superintelligence.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, says the pool of top-tier AI talent is far larger than commonly believed, challenging the notion that only a handful of high-profile names define the future of artificial intelligence. Speaking on CNBC’s Squawk Box shortly after OpenAI launched GPT-5, Altman described the current AI talent market as the most intense he’s ever seen in his career. While companies like OpenAI, Meta, and Anthropic are locked in a fierce competition for elite researchers, Altman argues that the focus on a few "shiny names" may be shortsighted. "I bet it's much bigger than people think," he said. "There are probably tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of people around the world who are capable of doing this kind of work." He emphasized that the real value of AI talent lies not just in their current expertise but in their potential to make transformative breakthroughs—especially in areas like artificial general intelligence and superintelligence. "The hope is they know how to discover the remaining ideas to get to superintelligence," Altman said. "There are going to be a handful of key algorithmic insights, and a medium-sized handful of people who can figure them out." Meta’s recent moves underscore the intensity of the competition. The company has reportedly made multiple offers of up to $300 million over four years to top OpenAI researchers, along with large signing bonuses to lure them away. It also brought on Scale AI’s CEO Alexandr Wang and former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman to co-lead its new Superintelligence Labs. Despite the high stakes, Altman stressed that the AI field places a premium on potential and innovation over established reputations. Unlike many industries, AI development relies heavily on identifying individuals with the creativity and technical depth to push boundaries, even if they aren’t household names. As the race to build the next generation of AI accelerates, Altman’s message is clear: the next wave of breakthroughs could come from unexpected places—and the talent pool is far deeper than most realize.
