Startups like MiniMax and Moonshot are setting up U.S. outposts, but massive pay gaps, weaker prestige, and national security tensions make luring talent away from OpenAI and Anthropic an uphill climb.

Chinese AI companies are hiring Silicon Valley-based engineers to work on their models, potentially tapping into the talent at American labs like OpenAI and Anthropic.

MiniMax, the Hong Kong-listed Chinese AI startup, currently has around 16 San Francisco-based job openings listed on its website, including for a research lead focused on developing its core AI model. The company is also recruiting specialists in finance, law, life sciences, and cybersecurity, as well as a lead recruiter to attract top AI talent in Silicon Valley and Seattle.

Moonshot AI, the Chinese company behind the Kimi AI model, is looking for U.S.-based  “solutions architects,” who will “help enterprise customers integrate its AI models into their businesses.”

American AI companies, with their deep pockets, have attracted global talent, including many Chinese engineers, by offering high compensation and opportunities to work on the world’s best models. In comparison, Chinese companies have so far largely relied on homegrown talent. Hiring in the U.S. reflects a strategic shift by Chinese companies as they look to compete and stay close to one of their most lucrative markets, experts said.

“Wanting to establish research teams in Silicon Valley makes perfect sense for Chinese AI companies seeking access to talent and the latest developments in the industry,” Cheryl Wu, a researcher in the economics of AI at Yale University and global think tank GovAI, told Rest of World .

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