Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reorganises AI efforts under new Superintelligence division led by top industry talent
Meta Platforms has launched a bold new initiative called Meta Superintelligence Labs, marking a significant shift in its approach to artificial general intelligence (AGI). According to an internal source, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is centralising the company’s AI strategy under this new division as part of a high-stakes effort to regain momentum in the AI arms race against rivals like OpenAI, Google, and China’s DeepSeek.
Meta Superintelligence Labs to Be Led by Scale AI Founder
The new division will be spearheaded by Alexandr Wang, founder and former CEO of Scale AI, who will now serve as Chief AI Officer at Meta. The restructuring follows internal challenges, including key staff departures and a lukewarm reception for the company’s latest open-source AI model, Llama 4.
Zuckerberg’s goal: to fast-track AGI development, advance products like the Meta AI assistant, image-to-video advertising tools, and AI-powered smart glasses, while building new monetisation channels.
Strategic Hires: Meta Raids OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google Talent
Meta has aggressively recruited talent over the past month, including:
- 11 senior AI hires from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google
- Former DeepMind researchers: Jack Rae and Pei Sun
- OpenAI alumni: Jiahui Yu, Shuchao Bi, Shengjia Zhao, Hongyu Ren
- Anthropic’s Joel Pobar, returning to Meta after more than a decade
The company is also bringing on Daniel Gross, co-founder and CEO of Safe Superintelligence (SSI), and Nat Friedman, former GitHub CEO, who will co-lead the lab and oversee applied AI research and product development.
Earlier this month, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman claimed Meta had offered his employees bonuses of up to $100 million to lure them away.
Meta Invests $14.3 Billion in Scale AI
As part of its push, Meta invested a staggering $14.3 billion into Scale AI, further underscoring Zuckerberg’s commitment to building internal capabilities that could deliver AGI — machines that can outperform human intelligence.
This move aligns with a broader trend across Big Tech, where companies are spending record amounts to gain an edge in AI. Analysts estimate $320 billion will be spent globally on AI R&D and infrastructure in 2025 alone.
Risks and Scepticism Surround Meta’s AGI Gamble
Despite the aggressive push, analysts and investors remain cautious. Meta’s previous moonshot division, Reality Labs, has burned through over $60 billion since 2020 with minimal commercial success, delivering only marginal traction with products like Ray-Ban smart glasses and Quest VR headsets.
While Zuckerberg bets big on AGI, Meta’s own chief AI scientist, Yann LeCun, has said that current AI techniques are not enough to reach AGI, indicating a long and uncertain road ahead. SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, meanwhile, believes AGI could become a reality within the next 10 years.
Industry-Wide Talent War for AGI
Meta’s strategy mirrors other Big Tech moves:
- Microsoft spent $650 million in 2024 to acquire most of Inflexion AI’s team.
- Amazon poached top AI researchers from Adept.
Meta’s WhatsApp-based recruitment strategy — personally led by Zuckerberg — has included offers with million-dollar salaries and equity packages to poach top startup talent.
