Meta Boosts AI Team with OpenAI's Trapit Bansal to Rival Competitors
Meta has bolstered its AI team with the hiring of former OpenAI researcher Trapit Bansal. The move comes as the company, led by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, aims to develop advanced AI reasoning capabilities to rival those of its competitors.
Bansal, who holds dual degrees in mathematics and statistics, and a PhD in computer science, brings a wealth of experience to Meta. At OpenAI, he played a pivotal role in developing the company's first AI reasoning model, o1. Now, he is set to work on Meta's AI reasoning, with the goal of outpacing OpenAI's upcoming 'o3' model.
Bansal's research focus at Meta will be meta-learning and natural language processing. His appointment follows a trend of Meta offering high pay packages to attract top AI talent, with reports suggesting offers over USD 100 million.
Bansal, who left OpenAI in June 2025, joins Meta's 'superintelligence' team. His expertise in AI reasoning will be crucial in Meta's quest to develop cutting-edge AI capabilities. The company continues to invest heavily in AI, aiming to stay at the forefront of the field.
