A.I. Researchers Are Negotiating $250 Million Pay Packages. Just Like N.B.A. Stars.

Over the summer, Matt Deitke got a phone call from Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s chief executive.

Mr. Zuckerberg wanted Mr. Deitke, a 24-year-old artificial intelligence researcher who had recently helped found a start-up, to join Meta’s research effort dedicated to “superintelligence,” a technology that could hypothetically exceed the human brain. The company promised him around $125 million in stock and cash over four years if he came aboard.

The offer was not enough to lure Mr. Deitke, who wanted to stick with his start-up, two people with knowledge of the talks said. He turned Mr. Zuckerberg down.

So Mr. Zuckerberg personally met with Mr. Deitke. Then Meta returned with a revised offer of around $250 million over four years, with potentially up to $100 million of that to be paid in the first year, the people said. The compensation jump was so startling that Mr. Deitke asked his peers what to do. After many discussions, some of them urged him to take the deal — which he did.

Silicon Valley’s A.I. talent wars have become so frenzied — and so outlandish — that they increasingly resemble the stratospheric market for N.B.A. stars.

Young A.I. researchers are being recruited as if they were Steph Curry or LeBron James, with nine-figure compensation packages structured to be paid out over several years. To navigate the froth, many of the 20-somethings have turned to unofficial agents and entourages to strategize. And they are playing hardball with the companies to get top dollar, much as basketball players shop for the best deals from teams.