AI Pay Gets So Costly That Taser Maker Is Hunting Acquisitions

The war for artificial intelligence talent has gotten so brutal that even a company whose stock has more than tripled over the past two years is struggling to compete.

Axon Enterprise Inc., which makes Tasers, body cameras and other public safety technology, has at least doubled the size of its recruiting team in just the past year as it seeks to attract technology specialists to help it build the next generation of its products, said President Josh Isner. It’s competing for that talent against technology giants who are increasingly offering eye-watering amounts of guaranteed pay to establish their AI teams.