Tech giants are engaged in a fierce battle for AI talent.

Author | Wen Changlong Editor | Yang Zhou

According to "Market Trends," ByteDance has recently introduced an enhanced stock option plan for its Seed Department, specifically targeting technical staff involved in large model development. Based on individual performance and job level, employees can receive monthly allotments of 90,000, 110,000, or 130,000 ByteDance options, vesting on a monthly basis. The company expects to distribute these options over a period of 18 months, amounting to millions in total.

Internally, some ByteDance employees have expressed envy towards the Seed Department, labeling it as the "golden ticket" within the company.

Prior to this, rumors circulated that the Seed Department had established an independent stock option incentive scheme for key employees, valued at $5 billion, significantly below current market projections, in an effort to attract top AI talent globally. Recently, notifications have been sent to several key personnel regarding this initiative.

Public records indicate that ByteDance's Seed Department was established in 2023 and serves as a pivotal component of the company's Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) strategy. This department leads the Doubao large model project, and its internal AGI research team operates under the codename "Seed Edge".

Industry experts believe that ByteDance's current wave of robust internal incentives is likely aimed at further solidifying its core talent base and fortifying its technological edge in the large model sector. One insider humorously remarked, "With Seed dishing out options like this, competitors will find it incredibly challenging to poach talent."

ByteDance has yet to issue an official response to the above news.