Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has implemented a hiring freeze in its artificial intelligence division following a massive recruitment drive that brought in over 50 top AI researchers and engineers from competitors like Google, OpenAI, and Microsoft. The freeze is part of the company's efforts to create a solid structure for its new superintelligence initiatives and align with its yearly budgeting and planning cycle.
The decision comes after Meta's aggressive talent acquisition spree, which included poaching top researchers with lucrative offers. Mark Zuckerberg personally reached out to researchers, offering signing bonuses and salaries worth millions of dollars. The company reportedly spent around $14 billion to secure Scale AI co-founder Alexandr Wang as its chief AI officer.
The hiring freeze is a result of Meta's restructuring of its AI division into four specialized teams, focusing on AI research, superintelligence development, AI products, and infrastructure. The company aims to push forward breakthroughs in AI research, develop advanced systems, build practical applications for its platforms, and develop AI hardware and data center capabilities.
The move also comes amid mounting concerns over Meta's spiraling AI costs and potential return on investment. Investors have been worried about the company's significant investments in AI, and the recent technology stock selloffs due to concerns over AI investments and returns have added to the uncertainty.
The hiring freeze prohibits external hiring and internal team transfers, with exceptions requiring approval from Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang. The duration of the freeze remains undetermined, leaving many questions about the future of Meta's AI initiatives.
