Meta’s aggressive push into artificial intelligence, led by Mark Zuckerberg, is creating noticeable disruption within the company. A series of high-profile AI hires has triggered swift exits, internal friction, and uncertainty about how the restructured AI division will operate going forward.
According to Meta, the newly formed TBD Labs—despite being in its early stages—already boasts “the greatest compute-per-researcher in the industry,” a capability the company expects to strengthen even further over time.
However, several recruits from Scale, including Wang, have struggled to adjust to Meta’s unconventional internal workflows. A person familiar with Wang’s perspective said that adapting to a structure without traditional revenue targets—a stark contrast to startup culture—has been particularly challenging for some of the new hires.
Despite these growing pains, many employees have expressed optimism about the leadership overhaul. The appointment of well-known entrepreneur and venture capitalist Friedman as the head of Products and Applied Research has been especially well received. His team is responsible for integrating Meta’s latest AI models into its products.
The hiring of Zhao, a widely respected technical expert, has also been viewed as a major win for Meta. Industry observers believe Zhao’s decisiveness and deep technical background could significantly accelerate Meta’s AI development efforts.
This reorganization, however, has shifted the internal hierarchy and sidelined some established leaders. Yann LeCun, Meta’s long-serving chief AI scientist, continues in his role but now reports directly to Wang rather than having the autonomy he previously held.
Ahmad Al-Dahle, who earlier this year oversaw Meta’s Llama and generative AI initiatives, has not been assigned as head of any current AI teams. Meanwhile, chief product officer Chris Cox remains in his broader role, but generative AI—which he previously supervised—now falls under Wang, who reports directly to Zuckerberg. This effectively removes Cox from direct oversight of Meta’s generative AI strategy.
Meta maintains that Cox “remains heavily involved” in its overall AI direction, particularly in managing recommendation systems across its platforms.
Looking ahead, Meta is considering potential workforce reductions within its AI division, according to an internal source. A memo shared with managers last week—reviewed by the Financial Times—announced a temporary hiring freeze across all Meta Superintelligence Labs teams, except for roles deemed “business critical.”
The memo states that staffing requests will now be reviewed individually by Wang’s group. Leadership says the pause will give Meta time to “thoughtfully plan our 2026 headcount growth as we refine our strategy.”
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