The talent exodus from Meta's ambitious Superintelligence Lab is accelerating, with at least three researchers quitting just two months after CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the multi-billion dollar initiative. Two defectors have already returned to OpenAI, having spent less than one month at Meta despite astronomical compensation packages. This rapid turnover signals deeper organizational challenges beyond money as the AI talent wars intensify.
Meta's high-stakes bet on artificial intelligence supremacy is hitting turbulence just weeks after launch. The company's newly minted Superintelligence Lab is hemorrhaging top-tier talent faster than Mark Zuckerberg can write checks, with at least three researchers abandoning ship in what sources describe as an unprecedented exodus for such a well-funded initiative.
The departures, first reported by WIRED's Zoë Schiffer and Will Knight, represent more than typical Silicon Valley job-hopping. Two of the researchers who quit have returned to OpenAI, their previous employer, after spending less than 30 days at Meta. One industry source familiar with the situation described it as "walking away from generational wealth in record time."
The timing couldn't be worse for Meta. Zuckerberg personally shepherded the recruitment process, offering compensation packages that rival professional sports contracts – some reportedly exceeding $100 million in total value. The Superintelligence Lab was positioned as Meta's moonshot to compete directly with OpenAI and Anthropic in the race toward artificial general intelligence.
"Mark Zuckerberg just went on this massive multi-billion dollar recruiting spree," Schiffer explained during WIRED's Uncanny Valley podcast. "The fact that some people are already leaving very, very shortly after starting is just such a bad sign."
Behind the spectacular compensation packages lies a more complex story about culture clash and competing visions for AI's future. Multiple sources point to mission alignment issues under the leadership of Alexander Wang, the young CEO of Scale AI who was tapped to head Meta's superintelligence efforts. Critics within the industry question whether Wang, despite his success in data labeling services, possesses the technical depth to inspire hardcore AI researchers.
