Meta Cuts 600 Roles in AI Unit to Make It More Agile

Meta is reportedly cutting about 600 roles in its artificial intelligence unit to make the unit more agile.

The cuts will not affect Meta’s newly formed TBD Lab unit and will instead target its FAIR AI research, product-related AI and AI infrastructure units, Axios reported Wednesday (Oct. 22), citing an internal memo from Meta Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang.

“By reducing the size of our team, fewer conversations will be required to make a decision, and each person will be more load-bearing and have more scope and impact,” Wang wrote in the memo, per the report.

Meta did not immediately reply to PYMNTS’ request for comment.

Meta expects that most of the employees affected by the cuts will find another position within the company, according to the Axios report. The company is still hiring for its TBD Lab unit.

It was reported in June that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had grown frustrated with the company’s limitations in AI and was personally recruiting AI researchers and engineers.

Later that month, it was reported that Meta took a 49% stake in data-labeling startup Scale AI and hired its founder, Wang, to join Meta’s new superintelligence unit.

A massive recruitment drive continued through the summer until late August, when it was reported that Meta paused hiring for AI professionals and was restructuring its AI division.

During a July earnings call, Zuckerberg said “personal superintelligence” clipped to a user’s glasses might be the next smartphone.

“Over the last few months, we’ve begun to see glimpses of our AI systems improving themselves, and the improvement is slow for now, but undeniable,” Zuckerberg said. “Developing superintelligence, which we define as AI that surpasses human intelligence in every way, is now in sight. Meta’s vision is to bring personal superintelligence to everyone so that people can direct it toward what they value in their own lives.”

On Tuesday (Oct. 21), Meta said it formed a joint venture with funds managed by Blue Owl Capital to develop and operate the Hyperion data center campus in Louisiana, which will be part of the infrastructure supporting Meta’s AI ambitions.