Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg has invested billions of dollars this summer to reshape the company's AI division, even personally getting involved in "poaching" talent. However, this high-stakes marriage seems to have entered the "honeymoon phase" ending. According to a recent report from Financial Times, the relationship between Zuckerberg and Alexandr Wang, the AI chief he spent a fortune hiring, is becoming unusually tense.

Alexandr Wang, just 28 years old, was the founder of Scale AI, which mainly provides data annotation services for AI training. In June, Zuckerberg successfully brought Wang under his wing by injecting over $1.4 billion into Scale AI, entrusting him with leading the newly established "Superintelligence Labs." However, insiders revealed that Wang had complained to colleagues about Zuckerberg's "micro-management," which made him feel suffocated. At the same time, there are voices within Meta questioning whether this young leader, lacking experience in building large AI models, could be up to the task.

This personnel upheaval has already caused tangible impacts within Meta. The former Chief AI Scientist and Turing Award winner Yann LeCun left in November, unwilling to report to Wang. Currently, Wang's lab is facing significant delivery pressure, with its core goal being to surpass Google and OpenAI in developing "superintelligent" systems on par with human level. Despite internal power struggles and external doubts about his credentials, Zuckerberg still demands the team to move at full speed to avoid falling behind in the AI race.

Key Points:

  • 💥 The Honeymoon Ends in a Flash: Less than half a year after joining, Alexandr Wang's relationship with Zuckerberg became strained due to his dissatisfaction with Zuckerberg's excessive interference.

  • 📉 A Surge of Key Executives Leaving: Due to dissatisfaction with organizational restructuring, the AI "father figure" Yann LeCun has chosen to leave Meta.

  • ⚠️ Conflict Between Ability and Vision: Employees within Meta doubt whether Wang, with only a background in data annotation, can lead the development of complex superintelligent systems. Meanwhile, Meta's stock price had previously plummeted due to the massive pressure from AI expenditures.