Microsoft has drawn up an internal “most-wanted” roster of artificial-intelligence engineers and researchers now working at Meta Platforms and is offering multimillion-dollar compensation packages to lure them, according to documents and people familiar with the plans cited by Business Insider. The software maker has created a fast-track process that lets recruiters classify candidates as “critical AI talent,” triggering authorisation for bespoke offers within 24 hours. Packages can include large stock awards and seven-figure signing bonuses designed to match or exceed Meta’s own nine-figure proposals, which industry executives say have reached as high as $250 million for star hires. The aggressive hiring push underscores how competition for generative-AI expertise has escalated even after Microsoft trimmed other parts of its workforce. The company’s market valuation has approached $4 trillion on the strength of AI-related growth, heightening pressure to secure specialised staff for units such as Microsoft AI, led by former DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman, and CoreAI, overseen by ex-Meta executive Jay Parikh.