The competition for engineering and artificial intelligence talent is heating up, with executives at Meta and X exchanging playful jabs as both companies ramp up hiring efforts.
The latest episode began after Meta reportedly announced improvements to employee perks, including better snacks and beverages in office kitchens, as part of a broader initiative to boost workplace morale following layoffs and organizational restructuring.
According to a message cited by Business Insider earlier this month, Meta Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth informed employees that the company would upgrade office amenities in an effort to improve employee satisfaction.
X product executive Nikita Bier quickly seized on the development, turning it into a lighthearted recruitment campaign aimed at Meta employees.
“Neglected Meta employees: X is hiring web and data engineers & scientists,” Bier wrote on X. “We will match or even exceed any snack budget offer.”
He further joked that software engineering candidates should include ‘snacks’ on their resumes when applying for jobs at X.
While describing the post as humorous, Bier also attached a link to an opening for a Software Engineer, X Core Product role, offering annual compensation ranging from $180,000 to $440,000.
Even though the entire conversation was largely tongue-in-cheek, it illustrates the mounting struggle of technology firms to recruit talented engineers and AI experts.
Meta has seen several waves of downsizing and reorganization in the past few years as its CEO Mark Zuckerberg tries to push the company in the direction of artificial intelligence and future tech solutions.
Meanwhile, X continues to hire engineers and data scientists to work on Elon Musk's ambitious AI projects. The social media site belongs to Musk's AI empire thanks to xAI, which is owned by SpaceX.
The struggle for talented AI experts has turned into one of the key trends in the tech sector, where firms offer highly attractive terms to recruit experts in this area.
Also Read: Meta Signs Crusoe Deals for 1.6 Gigawatts of AI Computing Power Across US Sites
Meta shares closed at $577.22 on Thursday and slipped 0.40% to $574.89 in after-hours trading. Meanwhile, SpaceX shares finished the session at $185 before declining 1.84% to $181.60 in after-hours trading.
The company recently made headlines following its record-breaking IPO, which reportedly created more than 4,000 employee millionaires.
Despite pressure across short-, medium-, and long-term price trends, Meta stock continues to rank strongly on growth metrics, placing in the 88th percentile for growth according to Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings.