India, July 4 -- In a dramatic move that's jolting Silicon Valley, OpenAI is shutting down for an entire week. The official reason? Employee burnout. But the timing couldn't be more strategic, nor alarming. As Meta dangles outrageous signing bonuses and reels in high-profile OpenAI talent, the pause feels less like a vacation and more like a defensive manoeuvre in an escalating talent war.

OpenAI says the break is meant to help its staff recover after months of back-to-back 80-hour work weeks. The decision comes amid internal concerns about burnout, fatigue, and waning morale across teams. But the sabbatical also coincides with Meta's increasingly aggressive efforts to lure away OpenAI's best minds. This is raising eyebrows about whether...