HomeByteDance Denies Rumors of Offering High Salaries to Lure DeepSeek Researchers
In response to recent media reports claiming that "Guo Daya, a core researcher from DeepSeek95, has joined ByteDance with an annual salary approaching 100 million yuan," Li Liang, Vice President of TikTok Group, publicly addressed the matter on social media on the evening of April 16. He clarified that these reports are inaccurate. Li Liang stated that ByteDance has not recently hired any employees with compensation packages reaching the 100 million yuan mark. He also offered transparent insights into the incentive structures for the company's core internal technology teams.
Li Liang explained that all technical staff within ByteDance's Seed team operate under a unified compensation system. This system comprises cash, ByteDance stock options, and Doubao stock options, following a standard four-year vesting schedule. There are no "performance-based" clauses that would require meeting specific targets to fully vest the options. Addressing the potential for high returns, Li Liang noted that the value of these stock options is intrinsically linked to business growth. Should AI ventures like Doubao exceed expectations, some technical experts could potentially accumulate stock option gains amounting to several hundred million yuan over four years. However, this outcome depends on market-driven fluctuations in option prices and is not equivalent to a guaranteed, pre-set annual salary at the time of hiring.
This clarification highlights how leading companies are approaching salary transparency and talent cultivation amidst intensifying global competition for AI expertise. As ByteDance continues its significant investment in the Seed team and its large model initiatives, its talent incentive strategies have become a crucial focal point for observers assessing the company's broader AI ambitions.
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In response to recent media reports claiming that "Guo Daya, a core researcher from DeepSeek95, has joined ByteDance with an annual salary approaching 100 million yuan," Li Liang, Vice President of TikTok Group, publicly addressed the matter on social media on the evening of April 16. He clarified that these reports are inaccurate. Li Liang stated that ByteDance has not recently hired any employees with compensation packages reaching the 100 million yuan mark. He also offered transparent insights into the incentive structures for the company's core internal technology teams.
Li Liang explained that all technical staff within ByteDance's Seed team operate under a unified compensation system. This system comprises cash, ByteDance stock options, and Doubao stock options, following a standard four-year vesting schedule. There are no "performance-based" clauses that would require meeting specific targets to fully vest the options. Addressing the potential for high returns, Li Liang noted that the value of these stock options is intrinsically linked to business growth. Should AI ventures like Doubao exceed expectations, some technical experts could potentially accumulate stock option gains amounting to several hundred million yuan over four years. However, this outcome depends on market-driven fluctuations in option prices and is not equivalent to a guaranteed, pre-set annual salary at the time of hiring.
This clarification highlights how leading companies are approaching salary transparency and talent cultivation amidst intensifying global competition for AI expertise. As ByteDance continues its significant investment in the Seed team and its large model initiatives, its talent incentive strategies have become a crucial focal point for observers assessing the company's broader AI ambitions.
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