Meta plans to eliminate 600 positions in its AI unit, part of an ongoing effort to improve efficiency and responsiveness. The company remains committed to advancing AI capabilities.
Meta is cutting around 600 jobs from its Superintelligence Labs, the division tasked with building advanced AI. The layoffs will hit staff across the Facebook Artificial Intelligence Research (FAIR) unit, as well as AI product and infrastructure teams. A new, elite group, the ‘TBD Lab’, was spared from the cuts.
In an internal memo, Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang said the goal was to "streamline decision-making." He explained that a smaller team would allow each person to have more impact.
This isn't necessarily a final exit for all; Meta is encouraging affected staff to apply for other roles, hoping many will transition successfully.
This move follows a broader restructuring initiative aimed at making Meta's AI operations more agile and responsive. Earlier this year, the company secured a $27 billion financing deal with Blue Owl Capital to fund its largest-ever data center project, underscoring its commitment to advancing AI capabilities.
Despite the layoffs, the company continues to actively recruit for its elite TBD Lab, the team untouched by the cuts and tasked with developing next-generation models. Meta's leadership remains publicly optimistic, with Wang expressing confidence in the company's path toward achieving superintelligence.
This push comes against a powerful new wave of public skepticism. This week, hundreds of prominent figures, from AI pioneers to celebrities like Prince Harry and Joseph Gordon-Levitt—signed an open letter demanding a global prohibition on the very superintelligence research Meta is pursuing.
The dual developments highlight a growing rift: while Meta streamlines its internal race toward advanced AI, a vocal coalition of global leaders is now demanding that the finish line be torn down.
