Recently, the internal dynamics of Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL) have drawn widespread attention in the industry. From high-paying talent poaching to resource allocation controversies, and even issues with the lab's culture, Meta's ambitious goals in the field of artificial intelligence seem to be facing serious challenges.
Power Struggle in Leadership: LeCun vs. Wang's Ideological Conflict
As Meta's Chief AI Scientist and Turing Award winner Yann LeCun, his position within the company has been closely watched. However, recent rumors suggest that LeCun now reports to Alexandr Wang, the 28-year-old Chief AI Officer, which has caused considerable controversy. According to reports, during an internal meeting, LeCun opposed Wang's aggressive R&D plans, emphasizing the importance of long-term research, while Wang bluntly stated, "We are developing superintelligence, not debating philosophy." This comment led to an awkward atmosphere at the meeting, and there were even rumors that LeCun might leave due to ideological differences. This incident highlights the tension between Meta's short-term business goals and its long-term scientific vision.
Talent War: Shengjia Zhao's Joining and Controversy
Meta recently lured Shengjia Zhao, a key developer of ChatGPT from OpenAI, with high salaries and appointed him as the chief scientist of MSL, aiming to catch up in the field of artificial intelligence. However, Zhao's joining was not without complications. According to reports, Zhao threatened to return to OpenAI due to insufficient GPU resources and bonus disputes, and even signed related documents at one point. Meta eventually stabilized the situation by officially appointing him as chief scientist, but this incident exposed problems in the lab's resource management and incentive systems. Zhao's joining was expected to bring technological breakthroughs for Meta, but his turbulent integration process cast a shadow on the lab's stability.
Cultural Crisis: The Trade-off Between High Salaries and Mission
Meta has invested heavily in setting up MSL, with rumors of offering top researchers salary packages worth tens of millions of dollars, attracting several prominent talents from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic. However, the high-salary strategy has not completely solved the problems. Some high-paid researchers expressed dissatisfaction with resource allocation, while employees with lower salaries experienced a drop in morale. Industry insiders point out that Meta's "mercenary culture" contrasts sharply with the mission-driven environment emphasized by companies like OpenAI. The CEO of OpenAI once commented, "Meta's approach will lead to serious cultural issues, and talented people with a sense of mission will eventually defeat mercenaries." This view has sparked discussions about the sustainability of Meta's lab culture.
Resources and Prospects: The Cost of Superintelligence
MSL's goal is to develop superintelligence (ASI) that surpasses human capabilities and plans to launch the 1-gigawatt Prometheus cloud cluster in Ohio in 2026 to support large-scale AI training. However, recent internal turbulence and the departure of some newly hired researchers indicate that Meta is facing challenges in managing and integrating top talent. In addition, after the release of Meta's Llama4 model, it faced criticism for underwhelming performance and lack of transparency, further intensifying doubts about its AI strategy. AIbase believes that for Meta to stand out in the AI race, it needs not only funding and talent, but also to address internal cultural and management issues.
Meta's ambition for its Superintelligence Lab is undeniably great, but from conflicts in leadership ideology to resource allocation controversies and cultural crises, these series of incidents show that the road to pursuing superintelligence is full of difficulties. AIbase will continue to track Meta's AI strategy developments and provide readers with the latest insights.
