Scale and Scarcity
Fluid Future of Work
It was a week of intensity and introspection—where million-dollar offers met priceless acts of kindness, and the race for intelligence mirrored the quiet endurance of service. Across boardrooms and sidewalks, platforms and people were both pushing limits.
Tech giants intensified their chase—not just for GPUs or data pipelines, but for the rarest resource of all: talent that can shape the future. Some offers were so audacious they felt like fiction. But behind the zeros, a more complicated picture emerged—of fluid loyalties, ethical dilemmas, and the fine print of purpose. In parallel, a very different kind of commitment unfolded: a collective pooling of effort not for code, but for blood. One community ran the extra mile—literally and metaphorically—to make life easier for those born into the hardest of starts. What binds them all is movement—with intent, with resilience, and sometimes, with pain. And in that movement, whether through career shifts or actual kilometres, we find clarity about what matters.
Whether you’re applying for next opportunity or hiring your next engineer or healing from your last cramp, this week offered a lesson in how we grow: by pushing hard, pausing meaningfully, and knowing when to share the load.
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DTW
During the Week, Meta made headlines with its high-stakes recruitment offensive, offering astronomical pay packages—rumoured to be upwards of $100 million—to top OpenAI researchers. These aren’t ordinary offers: WIRED reports that some packages reach $300 million over four years, with stock vesting upfront in the first year. Mark Zuckerberg’s newly launched Meta Superintelligence Labs is being staffed at a blistering pace, with Alexandr Wang (ex-Scale AI) and Nat Friedman (ex-GitHub) at the helm. Meta’s ambition is clear: not just to catch up with OpenAI, but to out-build it by absorbing its best talent.
In a striking signal of China’s growing imprint on top-tier AI talent, seven of the eleven publicly disclosed hires at Meta’s new Superintelligence Labs—excluding co-leads Alexandr Wang and Nat Friedman—hail from China: Bi Shuchao, Chang Huiwen, Lin Ji, Ren Hongyu, Sun Pei, Yu Jiahui, and Zhao Shengjia. This concentration not only underscores the depth of Chinese expertise in frontier AI research, but also highlights how global platform firms are actively recruiting across geopolitical lines to stay competitive in the race for superintelligence.
Meta’s approach is as much about signal as substance. The recruitment frenzy reflects a new normal: top-tier AI researchers are treated not unlike elite athletes—mobile, scarce, and expensive. In fact, some of these AI researchers now command more than what Fortune 500 CEOs earn. (Satya Nadella of Microsoft made $79.1 million in 2024; many Meta offers reportedly exceed this.)
OpenAI is not taking this lightly. Chief Research Officer Mark Chen likened Meta’s poaching spree to “someone breaking into our home and stealing something.” Sam Altman responded internally, suggesting a recalibration of compensation structures while resisting what he called unfair trade-offs in equity and fairness. Meanwhile, Meta’s CTO Andrew Bosworth attempted damage control, stating publicly: “Not everyone is getting a $100 million offer... that’s a lie.” Yet, the broader message is clear: AI is no longer just about models and GPUs—it’s about monopolising minds.
But at the other end of this talent spectrum lies a very different story—one that is less about windfall and more about survival.
Soham Parekh, an Indian engineer based in the U.S., became the face of an unfolding “moonlighting” controversy. Accused by at least five tech start-up founders of holding multiple jobs simultaneously under false pretences, Parekh admitted to juggling overlapping roles at US-based AI and software firms. In his own words, “I did what I had to do to get out of a tough situation... I’m not proud of it.” His case reveals a darker underside of the digital labour economy—where precarity, burnout, and opaque expectations are pushing some workers into unsustainable work patterns.
The contrast between Meta’s talent bidding wars and Parekh’s clandestine work-life is not just stark—it’s instructive. They expose the fluidity of talent in the AI economy. At the top end, elite researchers command kingmaker leverage. At the base, anonymous coders gamble with their integrity just to stay employed.
This fluidity is being accelerated—not mitigated—by AI itself. As noted in a previous newsletter issue, “Neither Rich Nor Pretty”, we are already witnessing the shift from “replacement” narratives (AI vs. jobs) to “augmentation” strategies (AI with jobs). AI isn’t making talent obsolete; it’s elevating the premium on those who can build, train, or direct it. That makes talent more—not less—central to platform competitiveness.
What emerges is a new strategic triangle for platform businesses:
Data is abundant but contested.
Compute is powerful but expensive.
Talent is scarce and volatile.
This trifecta defines the modern AI arms race. And unlike compute or data, talent doesn’t scale linearly. You can’t scrape it. You can’t batch-process it. You have to win it—and then work to keep it.
The takeaway? Clean data matters—but so does clean talent.
Meta’s poaching may lead to legal blowback or further fragmentation within the AI community. But it also lays bare an uncomfortable truth: when platform power is built on human ingenuity, the line between collaboration and conquest becomes dangerously thin.
In a way, the stories of Zuckerberg and Parekh are two ends of the same spectrum: both navigating a rapidly mutating talent economy, one with GPUs and stock grants, the other with long nights and a desperate hustle. Together, they challenge us to rethink not only the ethics of platform building—but the values that sustain it.
OTW
Over the Weekend, PBEL City witnessed a heartwarming act of solidarity as the Peerancheruvu Runners (PCR), alongside residents, came forward for a semi-annual blood donation drive supporting children with Thalassemia. With generous support by SHAREVIEWS , medical partner Aarohi Blood Centre and organised by our association PCOA, the event collected precious units that will help save young lives.
For runners used to chasing miles, this was a different kind of endurance—one powered by empathy, proving that every drop can make a world of difference. The Blood Donation Camp saw residents, volunteers, and friends show up not just for donation but for service. Some came out of habit, others for the first time.
On the 90th birthday of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama—a day that celebrates compassion, wisdom, and humility—it feels appropriate that 66 units of blood were donated—including one from our daughter Aru, who began her own journey of giving and service
As I have said before, if you want others to be happy, practise compassion, if you want to be happy, practise compassion.
His Holiness Dalia Lama , Originally published by India Today, September 30, 2021
Each bag collected was a quiet pledge—to be there for someone we may never meet, but whose life might depend on our simple act of courage.
Earlier on Saturday, we witnessed the Bahuda Yatra, the sacred return of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra to their abode. There’s something deeply centring about the quiet pull of the chariot, the devotional hum of music, and neighbours coming together in reverence.
Bahuda is not just a festival; it’s a philosophy—that every journey gains meaning when we return to where we began, carrying the wisdom of the path.
Later that Saturday evening, a group of runners gathered for a practical workshop on Injury Prevention, led by Dhiraj Kaveri, founder of Stay Active. With yoga mats and open minds, participants learned how to strengthen, stretch, and recover wisely. Dhiraj shared science-backed strategies for managing fatigue, preventing common overuse injuries, and listening to your body when pushing the limits. A timely session, especially for those increasing mileage or dealing with recurring niggles.
Together, these two days stitched something larger: a sense of renewal through return, and responsibility through routine. In a world wired for novelty and noise, it felt grounding to pause, reflect, and simply give—time, energy, or a part of ourselves. We showed up—in prayer, in service, and in preparation. Three quiet acts, one shared ethos.
I love you.
Shailendra
PS- More than 66 years ago, in March 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, escaped from Tibet, seeking refuge in India. We have been blessed by his continued presence since then.