Meta Cuts 600 AI Jobs to Accelerate Development
Meta Platforms is eliminating approximately 600 positions from its artificial intelligence unit, Superintelligence Labs, in a strategic move to streamline operations and compete more effectively in the AI race.
Key Details of the Layoffs
- Scale: Approximately 600 jobs cut from Superintelligence Labs
- Notification: Employees were informed on October 22
- Affected Units: Facebook AI Research (FAIR), product-related AI teams, and AI infrastructure
- Exempt: Newly formed TBD Lab group with recent high-paid hires
The job cuts specifically target Facebook Artificial Intelligence Research (FAIR), along with teams working on product-related AI and AI infrastructure.
Strategic Rationale Behind the Cuts
Alexandr Wang, Meta’s chief AI officer, explained the reasoning in an internal memo:
“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.”
The layoffs represent Meta’s ongoing effort to trim what was internally considered a bloated AI unit, where teams frequently competed for computing resources.
Broader Context and Future Plans
Meta is encouraging affected employees to apply for other positions within the company and plans to continue hiring for AI teams. This downsizing marks the latest strategic move by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who is aggressively spending to keep pace with rivals like OpenAI and Google.
The company has invested heavily in AI talent acquisition, including a US$14.3 billion investment in data labeling startup Scale AI, which facilitated Wang’s transition to Meta to lead AI efforts.
