Meta Halts AI Hiring Amid Bubble Concerns

Meta has paused hiring for its new AI division after spending millions acquiring top talent. While some experts suggest the move could be linked to concerns about an “AI bubble,” Meta maintains it is simply part of its organizational planning.

According to an exclusive report from The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Meta froze recruitment after seeking some of the most talented AI engineers and researchers on the market. The tech giant has been poaching dozens of experts from competitors in the AI race, including Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI, and offering attractive contracts.

The news spread just days after Sam Altman remarked that the AI market might be in a bubble, prompting analysts to speculate that Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to halt AI hiring could be connected to the massive investments pouring into the sector. However, Meta clarified that the move is strictly organizational.

A spokesperson from Meta told the WSJ that the freeze has to do with “basic organizational planning: creating a solid structure for our new superintelligence efforts after bringing people on board and undertaking yearly budgeting and planning exercises.”

Sources familiar with the matter said Meta is restructuring its superintelligence division into four teams: one focused on AI products, one on superintelligence technology—called TBD Lab—, one on infrastructure, and a fourth on projections and exploratory research known as Fundamental AI Research.

These teams are expected to work in parallel to build and develop Zuckerberg’s ambitious vision for the future of AI.

A couple of months ago, Meta negotiated a deal to acquire a 49% stake in AI training startup Scale AI for about $14.8 billion, also bringing the company’s CEO, Alexandr Wang, into Meta’s leadership structure.

In June, Meta announced the creation of a SuperIntelligence lab, led by Wang, and has been offering multimillion-dollar packages to attract AI experts. Zuckerberg has reportedly offered more than $200 million to AI engineer and researcher Ruoming Pang to lure him away from Apple.