July 1, 2025: In a bold move to reassert its position in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence (AI) landscape, Meta has launched a new division called Meta Superintelligence Labs, signaling a significant organizational overhaul and a sharpened focus on artificial general intelligence (AGI). The new division will be led by Alexandr Wang, the former CEO of data-labeling startup Scale AI, and will serve as the epicenter of Meta’s most ambitious AI efforts yet.
The reorganization comes at a critical juncture for the social media giant, following internal turbulence, an underwhelming market response to its recent Llama 4 open-source model, and increased competitive pressure from rivals like Google, OpenAI, and Chinese AI firm DeepSeek. According to a source familiar with the development, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg aims for the new lab to accelerate progress toward AGI—machines capable of surpassing human intelligence—while also monetizing AI tools across the company’s platforms, including the Meta AI app, image-to-video advertising solutions, and smart devices such as its Ray-Ban smart glasses.
A Star-Studded AI Leadership Team
Wang, now appointed as Meta’s Chief AI Officer, will co-lead the Superintelligence Labs alongside former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman, who will oversee AI product development and applied research. Both are highly regarded figures in the tech and startup world, known for their aggressive innovation strategies and deep AI expertise.
The shakeup also includes several high-profile hires. Notably, Daniel Gross, co-founder and CEO of Safe Superintelligence (SSI)—a startup co-founded with OpenAI alumnus Ilya Sutskever—will reportedly join the new division. Meta had recently attempted to acquire SSI, indicating Zuckerberg’s hands-on involvement in talent acquisition. Over the past month, Zuckerberg has personally reached out to prospective hires via WhatsApp, extending offers with compensation packages reaching into the millions.
Joining the ranks are 11 additional AI researchers from leading companies like OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic. Among them are former DeepMind researchers Jack Rae and Pei Sun, as well as OpenAI veterans Jiahui Yu, Shuchao Bi, Shengjia Zhao, and Hongyu Ren. From Anthropic, Meta has secured the services of Joel Pobar, a former Meta employee who brings over a decade of experience back to the company.
$14.3 Billion Investment in Scale AI Fuels the Initiative
Meta’s launch of the Superintelligence Labs follows its $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI earlier this month, signaling the importance of high-quality data infrastructure in training next-generation models. With Wang’s appointment, Meta is not just absorbing technology but embedding its leadership into the core of its future AI roadmap.
The aggressive recruitment campaign mirrors moves by other tech giants. In 2024, Microsoft acquired most of Inflection AI’s team, including co-founder Mustafa Suleyman, in a $650 million deal. Amazon has also lured away key AI personnel from startup Adept. In a competitive twist, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently disclosed that Meta had offered some of his employees bonuses worth up to $100 million to join the company.
Mounting Risks and Skepticism
While Meta’s AI aspirations are ambitious, not everyone is convinced the company can deliver results in the near term. Analysts have drawn parallels to Meta’s Reality Labs division, which has spent over $60 billion since 2020 with limited commercial success, aside from niche products like the Ray-Ban smart glasses and Quest VR headsets.
“There’s no guarantee that AGI will emerge from this arms race,” said one industry analyst. “Meta is betting big again, and this time it’s on something even more speculative than the metaverse.”
Even within Meta’s own leadership, there are differing opinions on the path to AGI. Chief AI scientist Yann LeCun has publicly stated that current AI methods are insufficient to reach the AGI milestone, advocating instead for alternative approaches in cognitive architectures.
Big Tech’s AI Spend Hits $320 Billion in 2025
The broader industry context underscores the intensity of the competition. Collectively, major tech firms are projected to spend over $320 billion on AI research and development in 2025. Much of this is focused not just on building smarter models but on securing the best talent—an increasingly scarce resource in the AI boom.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son has predicted that AGI will become a reality within the next decade. Others are more cautious, pointing to the immense technical and ethical challenges that still lie ahead.
The Road Ahead for Meta
With the formation of Meta Superintelligence Labs, Zuckerberg is making one of the most consequential bets of his career. Beyond just catching up to rivals, the move represents an attempt to leapfrog them entirely by redefining what the next generation of AI can achieve.
Whether this will translate into actual products and profits—or remain another high-stakes moonshot—remains to be seen. What is clear is that Meta has put itself firmly back into the heart of the global AI race.
