Overview

• Meta confirmed a hiring pause for its AI unit, restricting external hires and internal transfers with limited exceptions requiring Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang’s approval.
• The AI organization now operates as four groups: TBD Lab led by Wang for superintelligence, Products and Applied Research led by Nat Friedman, MSL Infra led by Aparna Ramani, and FAIR for long‑term research.
• Reports say Meta is weighing downsizing or reassigning roles across the expanded AI division, though no layoffs are tied to this specific restructuring and some executive departures are expected.
• The pause follows months of aggressive recruitment with nine‑figure offers, a $14 billion stake in Scale AI to bring in Wang, and capex forecasts that analysts warn could strain shareholder returns.
• Regulatory pressure is mounting as the Texas attorney general and a Senate subcommittee opened probes into alleged harms from Meta’s generative‑AI chatbots, adding legal risk to the program.