600 people are being laid off from Meta's Artificial Intelligence unit.

Meta Faces Major Cuts in AI Department

Farewell to AI Engineers

Meta has decided to lay off 600 engineers in its artificial intelligence unit as part of an ongoing restructuring process. The company's head of artificial intelligence, Alexandr Wang, announced the layoff decision in a note to employees.

The AI Competition Heats Up Worldwide

Meta is in a fierce competition with OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and other tech giants to develop artificial intelligence systems. The company had gone through an intense hiring process during the summer and offered multi-million dollar salary packages to attract more researchers than its competitors. However, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman noted that their top employees did not respond positively to these offers.

New Structure Means Fewer Meetings, Greater Impact

In his statement to employees, Alexandr Wang said, "By reducing the size of our AI team, we will facilitate fewer meetings in the decision-making process. Each employee will carry more load and responsibility, thus expanding our area of impact."

New Opportunities for Employees

Meta has not reduced its overall workforce but has reorganized its operations. It is emphasized that many of those laid off may find new positions in different departments.