Meta’s AI Exodus: Zuckerberg’s Hires Threaten to Quit
▼ Summary
– Shengjia Zhao, co-creator of ChatGPT, threatened to quit Meta shortly after joining and nearly returned to OpenAI, but was instead promoted to chief AI scientist.
– This incident highlights the turbulence in Mark Zuckerberg’s major reorganization of Meta’s senior leadership, the largest in the company’s 20-year history.
– Zuckerberg is shifting from longtime executives to a new generation of AI leaders, including Zhao, Alexandr Wang, and Nat Friedman, to compete in AI.
– Current Meta staff are adapting as new AI executives assert influence while navigating the company’s scale and Zuckerberg’s hands-on management style.
– Some new AI hires have left after brief tenures, including Ethan Knight and Avi Verma, who never started after onboarding.
Meta’s ambitious drive to lead the artificial intelligence sector has encountered turbulence as high-profile recruits from OpenAI and other top firms struggle to adapt to the company’s culture and leadership dynamics. The recent hiring spree, part of Mark Zuckerberg’s multibillion-dollar plan to develop advanced AI systems, has been marked by internal friction and early departures among key technical staff.
Shengjia Zhao, a co-creator of ChatGPT, reportedly threatened to return to OpenAI just days after joining Meta. He even signed re-employment documents with his former company before being persuaded to stay, a move that culminated in his appointment as Meta’s new chief AI scientist. This episode highlights the challenges Zuckerberg faces as he reshapes Meta’s leadership structure, one of the most significant reorganizations in the company’s two-decade history.
Unlike in the past, when Zuckerberg relied on longtime executives like Chief Product Officer Chris Cox, the push into AI has led to a wave of external hires. Among them are former Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang and ex-GitHub chief Nat Friedman. These newcomers are now navigating Meta’s complex corporate environment while attempting to assert influence over the company’s strategic direction.
Current employees are adjusting to this new era, as freshly appointed AI leaders work to establish their roles within a $1.95 trillion organization known for its hands-on founder. One investor familiar with several of Meta’s AI hires described the atmosphere as having “a lot of big men on campus,” suggesting a climate of heightened ambition and potential conflict.
The situation is further complicated by a string of early departures. Machine-learning scientist Ethan Knight left the company after only a few weeks, while Avi Verma, a former OpenAI researcher, completed onboarding but never actually started his job. These exits point to broader difficulties in integrating top AI talent into Meta’s established operational framework.
(Source: Ars Technica)
