Meta to cut 600 jobs in artificial intelligence: reports

Meta to cut 600 jobs in artificial intelligence: reports

Facebook owner Meta is cutting 600 jobs in artificial intelligence
Facebook owner Meta is cutting 600 jobs in artificial intelligence. Photo: Benjamin LEGENDRE / AFP/File
Source: AFP

Facebook owner Meta is cutting 600 jobs in its artificial intelligence division in a move intended to streamline operations after an aggressive hiring spree, US media reported Wednesday.

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

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 that said 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.

Read also

UK borrowing hits five-year high ahead of budget

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."

Meta did not respond to an AFP query on the matter.

Source: AFP

Authors:
AFP avatar

AFP AFP text, photo, graphic, audio or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP news material may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer or otherwise except for personal and non-commercial use. AFP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP news material or in transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages whatsoever. As a newswire service, AFP does not obtain releases from subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, videos, graphics or quoted in its texts. Further, no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP material. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP material.