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Meta has decided to pause hiring for its Superintelligence Labs, calling the move a part of a “basic restructuring.” The decision follows months of aggressive recruitment through which the company hired more than 50 researchers and engineers from leading rivals such as OpenAI, Google, Apple, Anthropic, and xAI.
The pause began last week, and current employees have also been told they cannot transfer to other teams inside the division. While the company hasn’t said how long this freeze will last, a Meta spokesperson explained that it is part of “regular planning” and linked to yearly budgeting.
This marks the fourth restructuring of Meta’s AI division in just six months. The new structure will now divide the section into four separate teams. One will work on superintelligence under the TBD Lab, another will create consumer AI products, a third will manage AI infrastructure, and the last will focus on long-term research projects under FAIR, Meta’s Fundamental AI Research unit.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg continues to push toward building advanced artificial intelligence systems that may one day reach or even surpass human-level intelligence. To further this compelling vision, Meta has already brought in big names such as Alexandr Wang, co-founder of Scale AI; Nat Friedman, former GitHub CEO; and Daniel Gross, co-founder of Safe Superintelligence.
Also Read: Meta’s AI Shake-Up Puts Superintelligence Goal in Spotlight
The company’s hiring spree has come at a high cost. Reports suggested that some job offers were worth as much as $300 million, though Meta has denied such figures. Even so, the scale of investment is clear. Meta spent $17 billion in capital expenses during the second quarter alone and has raised its full-year forecast to as high as $72 billion.
While Meta’s recent financial results beat Wall Street expectations and pushed its stock to record highs, many investors worry about the rising costs tied to artificial intelligence. Analysts have warned that heavy spending and constant restructuring may slow progress in the short term.
Industry leaders have also shared concerns. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently said that investors may be getting “overexcited” about AI, raising questions about a possible bubble in the sector.
Meta’s restructuring shows both ambition and caution. It highlights Zuckerberg’s strong focus on superintelligence while also signaling the need to control costs and build a more stable structure for the future.
