At an ex-OpenAI researcher's influential lab, $500,000 salaries aren't enough to fix a talent 'bottleneck'

METR, a Berkeley-based AI evaluation lab founded by an ex-OpenAI researcher, faces a talent shortage despite offering salaries up to $503,000. The nonprofit collaborates with OpenAI, Anthropic, and governments to assess AI capabilities but struggles to expand due to limited staffing, raising concerns about the industry's ability to keep pace with rapid AI advancements.