Meta Platforms (META) is pushing ChatGPT developer OpenAI to pay $6 billion in stock-based compensation to maintain its high builders from becoming a member of the previous. The Fb developer has been working to purge OpenAI of a number of AI specialists to higher its personal AI developments.
In response to Meta’s recruitment efforts, OpenAI has elevated common worker inventory rewards to $1.5 million, 34 occasions greater than pre-IPO norms at comparable massive tech firms. Moreover, OpenAI workers could now earn shares immediately after the enterprise scrapped its six-month vesting cliff. Moreover, OpenAI’s inventory compensation accounts for 46% of its $13 billion yearly revenue, in comparison with 6% for mature expertise companies. This quantity is anticipated to climb as OpenAI hires extra folks and accelerates AI mannequin improvement by 2030.
Since August 2025, Meta Platforms’ stock has dropped significantly, with the beginning of November seeing the biggest decline. Fortunately, the stock picked back up in December, climbing nearly 11% in the last 30 days. With the recent run to close out 2025, and should OpenAI fail to keep its top AI developers, Meta could be in a pole position to enter the new year on a high, prompting plenty of investor activity.
Furthermore, with the Facebook developer leaning away from its Metaverse plans to open the year, investor interest in META is gaining steam. Wall Street top firms covering the stock have also given a bullish case for Meta in 2026. Wolfe Research, with a high overall score of 87.9, maintains a positive outlook on Meta. Guggenheim’s $875 target indicates significant upside, supported by its strong historical accuracy in price predictions. Wolfe Research’s $730 target reflects similar optimism.
On the other hand, Analysts at Baird recently published a report that Meta Platforms presents both risks and opportunities heading into 2026. Analyst Colin Sebastian urged investors to “be opportunistic buyers,” noting that while near-term sentiment risks remain, “embedded expectations are in better balance vs. three months ago.”
