swyx: open-source AI engineering leaders fetch $10M-$100M acqui-hires per engineer
doodlestein · x · 2026-11-05
swyx argues that building a category-leading open-source project in AI engineering right now commands acqui-hire rates of roughly $10M–$100M per AI engineer — no business model, no GTM, no funding needed, just build what the agents want.
doodlestein quipped he'd "willingly lose his independence for $100 million," echoing the sentiment.
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