Gil claims some AI labs are slowing researcher hiring due to compute scarcity

What was said

""I know some labs have slowed down on their hiring of researchers unless they're above a very very high bar because the cost isn't the researcher, it's the compute associated with the person.""

Elad Gil says compute, not salaries, is becoming the binding constraint at major AI labs, leading to tighter hiring standards for research roles. He frames the shift as an internal ‘return on invested tokens’ logic, where labs concentrate scarce compute on a small set of researchers perceived to drive most results.