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| Yangshun Tay, an AI engineer. Yangshun Tay |
Yangshun Tay had barely posted about receiving a job offer from OpenAI when Meta reached out congratulating him and asking if he was open to returning. Within just 12 hours of his LinkedIn update, the AI hiring wars came knocking.
The 35-year-old software engineer, based in Singapore, isn’t a household name outside tech circles, but his journey is increasingly common among highly skilled engineers in AI-adjacent fields. After five years at Meta, Tay left to build his own startup, GreatFrontEnd, which helps front-end developers sharpen their skills. Despite lacking a deep background in AI research, he was pursued by two of the most powerful AI companies on the planet.
The conversation with Truth Sider has been edited for clarity and length. Neither OpenAI nor Meta provided comment.
Meta Came Calling But He’s Not Going Back
Tay had interviewed with OpenAI some time ago but only decided to share news of his offer publicly on a Tuesday. Within half a day, Meta emailed him referencing his OpenAI offer and gauging his interest in returning to the company. "What was amusing," Tay said, "was that they knew exactly who I was. They even noted my past time at Meta."
Still, Tay doesn’t see himself returning. “Meta isn’t leading the AI race right now,” he said, despite their splashy recruitment of AI talent and billion-dollar investment in AI infrastructure. "They’ve made a lot of high-profile hires, but I’m just not too bullish on Meta after working there for over five years.”
The message from Meta wasn’t exactly an offer. Because Tay left over two years ago, he would need to go through the full interview process again. And that, in his mind, isn't worth the opportunity cost.
The Real Cost of Being an Employee in AI
While job offers from OpenAI or potential callbacks from Meta may sound like career-defining moments, Tay sees things differently. For him, the cost of full-time employment particularly in the fast-moving AI space is steep.
“The opportunity cost is really high,” he said. “If you’re building AI products for someone else, you’re giving up the chance to build something independently that might scale and become significant.”
Instead, he’s focusing on launching his own AI products. “Right now is a great time to build and start a company,” he added, suggesting that the current tech environment favors individual initiative over corporate allegiance.
Still, he recognizes the broader talent market is uneven. “Yes, top-tier engineers are in high demand,” he said, “but many others are still struggling to find jobs.” In his view, the most pivotal AI breakthroughs come from just a few elite engineers those few are enough to move the needle for the entire industry.
The AI Arms Race: Talent Is the Battleground
Companies like Meta are offering eye-popping salaries and nine-figure compensation packages to lock down the best minds in AI. But Tay is skeptical that this will yield long-term advantages.
“Even if Meta has a breakthrough, it won’t stay within Meta’s walls for long,” he said. “The top people move around too fast, and every big tech company is building its own models. It’s a model arms race. Someone beats someone else on benchmarks almost every week.”
Still, Tay believes that competition is a net positive. “It’s good for AI advancement and good for humanity in the long run,” he said. “In that sense, Meta is doing everyone a favor.”
The Future of Work Is Changing Fast
As AI tools become more powerful and accessible, companies are beginning to reassess how teams work and who they need to hire. Tay believes this shift will fundamentally reshape the labor market.
“AI is excellent at repetitive, well-understood tasks,” he explained. “That includes a lot of software engineering. There’s already a known solution you just need someone to implement it. AI can do that.”
What remains, he said, is the domain of creativity and innovation. “That’s where top talent matters. The engineers and researchers creating entirely new approaches they’re the ones driving real change.”
He’s also noticed a shift in how companies approach hiring. “The environment now is nowhere close to what I experienced in my earlier years at Meta. The pay was good then but not like what they're paying AI talent now.”
His Viral Post Was All Strategy
Tay’s original LinkedIn post about his OpenAI offer wasn’t just an announcement. It was strategic. “Posting about the offer was more for marketing purposes,” he admitted. “I wanted to raise my profile for future projects.”
And it worked. Along with Meta, several smaller companies reached out with cold emails and potential offers. But Tay was clear he’s not taking any of them. Not because the offers weren’t good, but because the timing is perfect for him to build on his own terms.
“I’m seriously considering launching something new,” he said. “This is a moment where being independent might be the smartest move.”
