$100M Brains, Is Yours Worthless?

Big Tech has decided human brains are the new Bitcoin. Meta, Microsoft, and Google are throwing money around like Oprah giving out cars, except instead of “You get a car!” it’s, “You get $100 million just to sign your name!” These companies are basically trying to hoard the rarest resource on Earth: people who actually know how to build AI. And when I say “rare,” I mean rarer than someone who still answers phone calls instead of texting.

Now, I hear you: “Why should I care? Good for them, but I’m not an AI genius.” Here’s why you should panic just a little: whoever controls these brains controls the future. The algorithms these $100 million hires build are the same ones deciding whether your job stays human, how your mortgage gets approved, whether your doctor uses AI to treat you, or whether your boss suddenly decides AI can “streamline” (replace) half your team. This isn’t just about nerds getting rich; it’s about whether you still have a career in five years.

Zuckerberg is leading the circus, tossing $14 billion into AI Superintelligence Labs like it’s pocket change, dangling checks so big he’s practically taunting OpenAI. Google flexed by dropping $2.4 billion to snag Windsurf’s co-founder, because apparently, Google’s motto is “if we can’t out-innovate you, we’ll out-pay you.”

Microsoft is the sneaky one here, quietly scooping up DeepMind talent like a vacuum cleaner at a garage sale. Meanwhile, startups are standing outside like kids with lemonade stands, hoping to attract talent with the promise of “purpose” and “ownership.” Cute, but when your rent is due, purpose doesn’t pay the bills.

But let’s stop laughing at Zuckerberg for a second; this should actually terrify you. If you’re a CEO or founder, your dream product might never get built because the brains you need are already locked up in Silicon Valley vaults. If you’re a manager, your budget is about to be eaten alive by AI salaries while your team wonders why they’re still stuck with old laptops.

If you’re just an everyday worker, here’s the scary truth: AI is moving faster than your career ladder. If you don’t pick up AI skills, you might wake up one day to find your “secure” job outsourced to a chatbot that doesn’t need coffee breaks.

Ask yourself: are you already being left behind? Are your competitors hoarding talent while you’re still debating whether AI is worth a line item in your budget? Are you preparing your career for the AI takeover, or are you going to be one of those “remember when” stories about the jobs AI killed?

The $100 million signing bonuses aren’t really about the money; they’re about who gets to call the shots for the next generation of technology. And if you’re not in the game, congratulations, you’re the prize.

The gap between people who understand AI and those who don’t is widening into a cliff, so are you preparing to climb with the right skills, mindset, and strategy, or are you standing at the edge, waiting to get pushed off by the next wave of automation?

- Matt Masinga