IITian Trapit Bansal quits OpenAI
In a headline-grabbing move, Trapit Bansal one of OpenAI’s most influential researchers has left the ChatGPT-maker to join Meta, as the tech giant doubles down on its pursuit of artificial general intelligence (AGI).
Bansal, an alumnus of IIT Kanpur and a PhD in Computer Science from UMass Amherst, took to X (formerly Twitter) this morning to announce: “Thrilled to be joining Meta! Superintelligence is now in sight.”
IITian Trapit Bansal quits OpenAI
His jump marks yet another high-profile defection from OpenAI to Meta, which has been actively poaching top talent in a bold effort to reshape its AI trajectory. Bansal’s resume speaks volumes with research stints at Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and IISc Bangalore, followed by a solid three-and-a-half-year run at OpenAI, where he was deeply involved in reinforcement learning work that helped shape some of the most advanced AI systems to date.
IITian Trapit Bansal quits OpenAI
Meta’s Superintelligence Sprint
Bansal joins Meta’s newly launched Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL), an elite AI division that CEO Mark Zuckerberg sees as central to Meta’s future. The unit is being helmed by Alexandr Wang, the former wunderkind CEO of Scale AI, who has now been crowned Meta’s Chief AI Officer.
Zuckerberg isn’t mincing words. In an internal memo, he called Wang “the most impressive founder of his generation” and declared: “As the pace of AI progress accelerates, developing superintelligence is coming into sight… This will be the beginning of a new era for humanity.”
IITian Trapit Bansal quits OpenAI
But to pull that off, Meta needs firepower. Bansal joins a growing list of OpenAI alumni making the switch including Lucas Beyer, Alexander Kolesnikov, and Xiaohua Zhai.
OpenAI vs Meta: The Talent Wars
OpenAI, known for its groundbreaking work on GPT and DALL·E, is now facing a full-on talent raid. CEO Sam Altman has accused Meta of offering “$100 million signing bonuses” and astronomical yearly compensation packages to lure away key personnel.
IITian Trapit Bansal quits OpenAI
Whether it’s about vision, values, or sheer dollars, Meta is making a statement: It intends to be the dominant force in the race to superintelligence.
With Bansal on board, that mission just gained another serious player.
