Meta leads Big Tech in hiring and retaining AI engineers, reveals study

Meta has emerged as the top performer for hiring and retaining engineering talent among Big Tech companies, according to a new study from venture capital firm SignalFire. The report shows that over the past year, two engineers joined Meta for every one who left, demonstrating the company’s ability to both attract top AI talent with competitive compensation packages and scale its workforce effectively across multiple areas.

What you should know: SignalFire’s headcount report reveals significant disparities in talent acquisition and retention across the tech industry.

• While AI startups Anthropic and OpenAI are leading in talent growth rates, their relatively small headcounts and short operational histories make retention assessment challenging.
• Meta’s 2:1 hiring-to-departure ratio earned it the “Best in Show” designation for balancing growth with employee retention.
• Despite widespread concerns that AI will replace engineers, most tech companies continue aggressive hiring sprees.

The compensation factor: Meta is deploying substantial financial resources to secure top AI engineering talent.

• The company is “throwing around some of the biggest numbers in the industry for top AI talent,” though many compensation packages are enhanced by stock options.
• This aggressive compensation strategy appears to be paying off in both recruitment and retention metrics.

Tesla stands out as the exception: The electric vehicle maker was the only major tech firm to lose more engineers than it gained over the past year.

• Tesla’s talent exodus follows a challenging period where CEO Elon Musk’s actions “turned new audiences against the product and sales prospects faltered.”
• This decline contrasts sharply with the broader tech industry’s continued expansion of engineering teams.

Why this matters: The talent competition in AI and engineering reflects the industry’s ongoing transformation and investment priorities, with companies like Meta positioning themselves as employers of choice even as economic uncertainties persist across the sector.