At least three researchers in the field of artificial intelligence have departed from Meta’s newly established superintelligence lab, merely two months after CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the initiative. As reported by WIRED, two of these researchers have returned to OpenAI, where they had previously been employed, following brief periods at Meta.
Avi Verma previously held a research position at OpenAI, while Ethan Knight had been with the ChatGPT creator earlier in his career before moving to Meta from Elon Musk’s xAI. A third researcher, Rishabh Agarwal, publicly declared his exit from Meta’s lab on Monday. According to his LinkedIn profile, Agarwal joined Meta in April to focus on generative AI projects before shifting to a role at Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL). While the specific reasons for Agarwal’s departure are unclear, he is located in Canada, whereas Meta’s AI teams are mainly based in Menlo Park, California.
“It was a difficult choice not to continue with the new Superintelligence TBD lab, particularly considering the talent and computing resources,” Agarwal expressed on X, referring to the team at MSL dedicated to cutting-edge AI research. “However, after 7.5 years at Google Brain, DeepMind, and Meta, I felt drawn to embrace a different type of risk.” His future intentions remain uncertain, and he did not reply to WIRED’s request for comment.
“During a rigorous recruitment process, some individuals may opt to remain in their current position rather than pursue a new opportunity,” noted Meta spokesperson Dave Arnold. “That’s typical.”
Meta is also losing another leader who has been part of the company for almost a decade. Chaya Nayak, the director of generative AI product management at Meta, is set to join OpenAI to work on special initiatives, according to two sources familiar with the hire.
Verma and Knight did not respond to WIRED’s inquiry for comment, and Nayak opted not to comment before publication.
The exits strongly indicate that Meta Superintelligence Labs could be starting off on shaky ground. Zuckerberg attracted talent to the lab with substantial pay packages, hoping this influx would enable the social media giant to quickly close the gap with rivals in the pursuit of artificial general intelligence.
Nonetheless, it has been reported that Meta executives have faced challenges with bureaucratic and recruitment issues regarding its AI initiatives. In recent months, Meta has continually reorganized its AI teams, most recently dividing employees into four groups, as stated by The Wall Street Journal.
In July, Zuckerberg announced that another former OpenAI researcher, Shengjia Zhao, who significantly contributed to the creation of ChatGPT, would take on the role of chief scientist of MSL. This announcement followed Zhao’s effort to return to OpenAI, where he even completed employment paperwork, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge.
“Shengjia co-founded MSL and has been our scientific leader from the very beginning,” Arnold commented in a statement to WIRED. “We formalized his role once our recruitment efforts had intensified and the team had taken shape.”
