Meta Platforms has frozen hiring within its artificial intelligence (AI) division after months of aggressive recruitment, bringing in more than 50 top AI researchers and engineers from rivals like OpenAI and Google. The hiring freeze, which began last week, aligns with a broader internal restructuring and prohibits existing staff from switching teams within the division, sources familiar with the matter said.
While Meta confirmed the freeze, a spokesperson described it as a routine organizational move tied to budgeting and building a solid structure for its new superintelligence initiatives. Any external hires during this period will require direct approval from Meta’s Chief AI Officer, Alexandr Wang.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Meta’s freeze follows a high-profile and costly recruitment spree that included lavish compensation offers, with some reportedly reaching $100 million or more. CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally led the charge, reaching out to researchers at top AI labs via email and WhatsApp. One researcher reportedly received an offer from Meta that may have exceeded $1.5 billion, though he reportedly declined.
Zuckerberg’s vision includes building AI systems that outperform humans in cognitive tasks. To support this, Meta recently reorganized its AI efforts into four teams under the “Meta Superintelligence Labs” umbrella: superintelligence (TBD Lab), AI products, infrastructure, and Fundamental AI Research. The reorg dissolved the underperforming AGI Foundations team, which had previously worked on Llama, which is Meta’s large language model that failed to meet expectations earlier this year.
Meanwhile, concerns are mounting among investors and analysts about the sustainability of such heavy spending. A recent note from Morgan Stanley emphasized the possibility that increasing stock-based pay could reduce shareholder returns, particularly if these AI investments don’t result in immediate innovation gains. Even if Meta’s expenditures could be revolutionary, the market is now paying close attention to them as tech companies falter.