<\/p>\n
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg\u2019s recent acquisitions and hires in artificial intelligence<\/a> have sparked major friction inside the social media giant \u2014 with new, mega-buck AI talent clashing with the company\u2019s veteran researchers, according to a report.<\/p>\n Alexandr Wang \u2014 the 28-year-old billionaire who ran Scale AI before Meta \u201cacquihired\u201d him as chief AI officer<\/a> for more than $14 billion \u2014 is clashing with longtime engineers in a tense standoff that\u2019s roiling Zuckerberg\u2019s AI division, according to the New York Times.<\/a><\/p>\n Shengjia Zhao \u2014 the OpenAI researcher who co-created ChatGPT and who was named Meta\u2019s chief AI scientist in July \u2014 has likewise been grilling longtime Meta employees about their past work as they interview for new roles in the restructured organization, according to the report.<\/p>\n Researchers have been lining up outside Zhao\u2019s office in recent weeks as the former OpenAI star conducts these assessments, one person told the publication.<\/p>\n Wang\u2019s arrival, meanwhile, has created friction over Meta\u2019s fundamental approach to AI development, with his superintelligence team pushing to make the company\u2019s next model \u201cclosed\u201d \u2014 keeping its technology secret.<\/p>\n This marks a major departure from Meta\u2019s longtime philosophy of open-sourcing its models for other developers to build upon, causing some old guard members to chafe at the change, the Times reported.<\/p>\n The new leadership has chosen to abandon Meta\u2019s previous frontier model called Behemoth, which saw its release delayed last spring after disappointing performance tests.<\/p>\n Meta invested $14.3 billion in Wang\u2019s former company, Scale AI, before bringing him aboard to lead the charge against OpenAI and Google.<\/p>\n The 41-year-old Zuckerberg has backed his new hires with nine-figure compensation packages to lure top researchers from rivals, igniting a Silicon Valley poaching war. Last month, he pitched investors on \u201ca new era of individual empowerment\u201d while projecting capital expenditures up to $72 billion this year.<\/p>\n Meta\u2019s AI division faces a dramatic four-way split as Meta reorganizes into groups focused on research, superintelligence development, products, and infrastructure, according to the report.<\/p>\n Meta is also considering downsizing the AI division, which has grown to thousands of employees, through potential role eliminations and transfers to other departments, sources said.<\/p>\n Several high-profile departures have followed the leadership changes. Joelle Pineau, a leading Meta computer scientist, left the company this year and later joined AI startup Cohere.<\/p>\n Angela Fan, a research scientist who worked on Meta\u2019s open-source Llama model, recently departed for OpenAI, according to the Times.<\/p>\n Story Continues <\/p>\n Loredana Crisan, vice president of generative AI, is leaving for software company Figma as chief design officer, two sources told the paper.<\/p>\n Former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross, who previously ran Safe Superintelligence, will lead development of new AI features under the products and applied research division.<\/p>\n Three people with knowledge of the matter told the Times that some members of the old guard have chafed at the new hires as Meta has spent billions to bring in AI talent.<\/p>\n The company is also actively exploring using third-party artificial intelligence models to power its products, potentially building on other open-source models or licensing closed-source technology from competitors.<\/p>\n This would mark a shift from Meta\u2019s traditional approach of using only its own technology for AI products.<\/p>\n Meta declined to comment on the reorganization, which was first partially reported by The Information.<\/p>\n Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is seen far left with Alexandr Wang (center) and Shengjia Zhao (right). @alexandr_wang\/X <\/p>\n
Shengjia Zhao, an OpenAI veteran who co-created ChatGPT, was named Meta\u2019s chief AI scientist in July and has been grilling longtime staff. Shengjia Zhao \/ Linkedin <\/p>\n
Alexandr Wang, poached from Scale AI with a nine-figure deal, now leads Meta\u2019s superintelligence push as chief AI officer. REUTERS <\/p>\n
Meta is simultaneously planning to slash the bloated AI division, which has ballooned to thousands of employees REUTERS <\/p>\n