Meta to cut around 600 roles in Superintelligence Labs AI unit

Facebook owner Meta is cutting 600 jobs in its artificial intelligence division as part of efforts to streamline operations following an aggressive hiring spree, U.S. media reported Wednesday.

The layoffs will not affect the TBD Lab, an operation established by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, according to reports from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and other outlets.

The lab's staffing was quickly grown through the poaching of top researchers with expensive pay packages from rivals like OpenAI and Apple.

Rather, the job cuts will target teams focused on artificial intelligence products and infrastructure, aiming to boost efficiency without sacrificing work on the company's most ambitious ventures, according to a Wall Street Journal report. It noted that many of the affected workers could be deployed elsewhere by the company.

The New York Times described the job cuts as aimed at addressing "organizational bloat" following aggressive hiring to build up the AI program.

Both newspapers quoted a memo from Chief AI Office Alexandr Wang that the job cuts mean "fewer conversations will be required to make a decision."