Wang has expressed frustration that Zuckerberg’s hands-on approach is slowing decision-making and innovation.
Internal doubts about Wang’s experience in core AI research and large-scale team management have added tension.
Recent departures of senior executives, including Yann LeCun and Jennifer Newstead, reflect growing unease within Meta’s AI hierarchy.
It’s no lie that Meta has been spending billions of dollars to build its aspirational AI team. But the new report suggests that the company seems to be going through early turbulence, with signs of internal strain emerging around its high-profile AI leadership overhaul. Back in June, the Facebook parent agreed to acquire a 49 per cent stake in AI startup Scale AI in a deal valued at $14.8 billion, bringing its young founder and chief Alexandr Wang, into the company to lead a newly created ‘superintelligence’ division.
SurveyWang was elevated as the public face of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s AI reset, a move fuelled by aggressive hiring and nine-figure pay packages aimed at luring top talent away from competitors. However, according to a Financial Times report, tensions between Wang and Zuckerberg have begun to emerge, with concerns that the company’s tightly controlled management style is slowing progress at a time when Meta is under pressure to deliver breakthroughs.
According to the report, Wang has privately expressed frustration with what he perceives as excessive oversight of Meta’s AI efforts, implying that decision-making has become constrained. People familiar with the situation told the newspaper that senior-level disagreements have been simmering for some time, pointing to a growing schism between Meta leadership and the AI chief.
Also read: Meta plans new image and video AI model codenamed Mango, targets 2026 release: Report
The report added that some employees have questioned Wang’s background, pointing out that his expertise is in AI data services rather than core research, and that he has limited experience leading teams on the scale of a global technology company. These doubts have reportedly added to the anxiety surrounding Meta’s AI reorganisation.
This comes after Meta recently revealed a restructured hierarchy. Meta abandoned its previous frontier model and has since divided its AI operations into several units, focusing on research, advanced systems, products and infrastructure.
In recent weeks, Meta’s chief legal officer Jennifer Newstead, has joined Apple, chief revenue officer John Hegeman has announced plans to leave to start a new company, and long-time chief AI scientist Yann LeCun is reportedly leaving to pursue a separate AI initiative.
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Ashish Singh
Ashish Singh is the Chief Copy Editor at Digit. He's been wrangling tech jargon since 2020 (Times Internet, Jagran English '22). When not policing commas, he's likely fueling his gadget habit with coffee, strategising his next virtual race, or plotting a road trip to test the latest in-car tech. He speaks fluent Geek. View Full Profile
