Anthropic CEO reportedly worried new hires only care about money

Anthropic CEO reportedly worried new hires only care about money — while hiring an event planner for 6x the going rate The AI industry's talent war has pushed salaries to extraordinary heights, with companies offering compensation packages that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. According to Axios, the trend is worrying Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who reportedly expressed concern about new talent coming to the company for the money rather than the mission. The comments may be seen as ironic coming from Amodei, considering Anthropic offers some eye-watering salaries for jobs that typically pay much less. Take a job posting for a brand marketing events lead at the company, which lists an annual salary ranging from $320,000 to $400,000. Must Read - Jeff Bezos backs a platform that lets anyone invest in rental homes for as little as $100 — 6 ways to build wealth like a landlord without actually being one - Dave Ramsey warns nearly 50% of Americans are making 1 big Social Security mistake. Here's what it is and 3 simple steps to fix it ASAP - Millionaires under 43 hold only 25% of their wealth in stocks. Here's where their money is actually going Meanwhile, the average pay for meeting, event and convention planners was $59,400 in May 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That means Anthropic is offering around six times the industry average. Amodei's alleged concerns quickly generated reaction online, with one prominent engineer taking to X to call out the irony. "If it's about the mission not the pay, pay below key competitors and see who joins," wrote Gergely Orosz, author of The Pragmatic Engineer column, on X. "It's not just about the money ofc but it's an important factor given the generational wealth AI companies created for early employees already." Is money the motivator? Employees being driven by money isn't exactly surprising. According to Gallup, in 2025 better pay and benefits were a top concern for job seekers; 54% of poll respondents rated pay as very important when considering whether to take a job. AI jobs in particular have seen salaries skyrocket, as top companies race to secure the best talent. Compensation depends on a number of factors, such as location, seniority and company size, but salaries run into the six — sometimes even seven — figure range. The average compensation for a machine learning engineer ranges from $180,000 to $350,000, according to Forbes. However, distinguished AI researchers at top firms, such as OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta, can hit over $1 million. Employees are also setting their sights on even more lucrative deals, such as sign-on equity. According to Axios, some researchers are seeking equity in companies such as Anthropic or OpenAi before their potential IPOs.