Meta Platforms is set to remove around 600 roles within its artificial-intelligence division, marking a shift from rapid expansion to streamlined operations. In an internal memo seen by several news outlets, the company disclosed that the cuts will affect its research, product and infrastructure units but not its new “TBD Lab.”
Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang wrote that by reducing team size fewer conversations will be required to make a decision and each individual would have more scope and impact.
Over the past year, Meta Platforms ramped up its investment in AI. It made a large financing deal reportedly around $27 billion with Blue Owl Capital to fuel its data centre and model ambitions. Meanwhile, sources say the company hired aggressively from rivals such as OpenAI, Apple Inc. and Google LLC.
Today’s cuts span the company’s longstanding research arm, Facebook Artificial Intelligence Research (FAIR), its AI product teams and the infrastructure group. Yet the newly created “TBD Lab”, which is focused on next-generation large-scale models, remains untouched.
What this means
Meta says those affected are being encouraged to apply for other roles within the company. The memo suggests many will be reassigned rather than fully cut.
Experts say the move reflects a broader pattern in tech after a surge in hiring during the so-called AI gold rush, companies are now consolidating. The move signals Meta’s intention to shift from scale to focus.
Notably, the company has lagged behind in certain areas of large language-model deployment despite its large user base.
From one perspective, the cuts appear to curb “organisational bloat” and sharpen the company’s competitive edge something Wang alluded to with his comment about fewer conversations. On the other hand, the decision may indicate that the rapid hiring spree failed to deliver the expected results, or that internal overlap and conflicting priorities emerged.
Some former insiders point to frequent re-organisation, reporting friction between research teams and product divisions. The departure of FAIR’s previous head, Joelle Pineau, earlier this year is often cited as a symptom of growing misalignment.
Why it matters
Meta’s AI ambitions are central to its long-term strategy. By redirecting resources into fewer but presumably more impactful roles, the company may hope to accelerate decision-making and cut down on cost overheads. Whether this results in stronger AI products or faster innovation remains to be seen.
For employees, the message is mixed: reassurance in the internal re-deployment offer, but uncertainty over the shift in direction. For the industry, Meta’s move may signal that the massive expansion phase in AI is giving way to a maturing phase where efficiency becomes paramount.
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