Meta suspends hiring of AI talents after record spending

Meta Platforms has decided to temporarily pause hiring for its new artificial intelligence unit, a surprise move that comes after months of massive investment in expensive AI researchers and engineers. The pause was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Meta explained that this is not about reducing investments, but rather about "basic planning" and creating a clear structure for working on future projects in the field of machine superintelligence. According to media reports, the company's efforts are now divided between four areas: the TBD laboratory, which deals with superintelligence, the AI product division, infrastructure and long-term research. All of them are united under the Meta Superintelligence Labs brand, which reflects Mark Zuckerberg's ambitions to create AI capable of surpassing humans in cognitive tasks.

Meta has been aggressively investing in AI development over the past year, competing with competitors for talent. Signing bonuses have reached $100 million. The most high-profile deal was the acquisition of 49% of the startup Scale AI for $14.3 billion, as a result of which its founder Alexander Wang headed the Llama division, a series of open language models for Meta.

Meanwhile, the market is closely watching the company's actions. While Meta has drawn attention for its massive spending, other tech giants are also investing billions in AI. But the hiring pause has coincided with concerns about the industry overheating. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently said that the AI space could be a "bubble," although most analysts disagree.

Experts believe that Meta is currently in "digestion mode" after aggressive spending. The company needs time to integrate new employees and ensure that they are capable of achieving the breakthroughs that management expects.

Thus, the hiring freeze is not seen as a rejection of investment in AI, but as a strategic pause to assess resources and future opportunities.