Pang joined Meta in mid-2025 after leaving Apple, where he focused on AI model infrastructure.

At Meta, Pang oversaw key systems supporting next-generation AI models. His exit comes after months of recruitment by OpenAI, and sources said he left Meta last week.

Meta and OpenAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The development reveals the scale of investment companies are making in AI talent. Reports indicate his compensation at Meta was more than $200 million over multiple years.

His work at Meta was a major one in developing the company’s next-generation AI systems, part of its long-term strategy to compete with firms including OpenAI, Anthropic, Apple, and Google.

For OpenAI, Ruoming Pang strengthens its infrastructure and ability to scale. His expertise will support the training of larger multimodal models and more advanced AI workflows.

The hire occurs as governments strengthen review of AI development. Canada, for example, has recently urged OpenAI to increase safety measures or face regulatory consequences.

This is one of the first big exits since Mark Zuckerberg reorganised Meta’s AI division under Superintelligence Labs.

LeCun, a Turing Award laureate and one of the pioneers of deep learning, is reportedly in early discussions with investors to raise funds for his new venture, which will centre on developing “world models”, AI systems designed to simulate and understand the real world more deeply. 

This approach aims to create machines that can learn and reason with a closer resemblance to human cognition.

His departure comes at a time when Meta is enhancing its drive to compete with OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic in the superintelligent systems space.

Mark Zuckerberg recently consolidated Meta’s AI research under Superintelligence Labs, placing Alexandr Wang, the former CEO of data-labelling firm Scale AI, in charge of the division.

This reorganisation meant that LeCun, who had long reported to Chief Product Officer Chris Cox, was reassigned to report directly to Wang, a move that, according to sources cited by the Financial Times, may have influenced his decision to leave.

LeCun’s planned exit reveals both a generational change in leadership and a potential divergence in vision between academic research and the dynamic, product-driven approach of Meta AI.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has yet to comment publicly on the reports. LeCun, too, has not issued an official statement.

Since joining Meta (then Facebook) in 2013, Yann LeCun has helped in promoting convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and self-supervised learning, two techniques that underpin today’s large-scale AI systems. 

His next startup could represent a return to the more exploratory and research-oriented roots that first defined his career.

The Meta CEO is personally building a new team aimed at artificial general intelligence (AGI), machines that can think and operate at or beyond human capability.

At the heart of this development is a covert “superintelligence” unit made up of roughly 50 top-tier engineers and researchers. 

According to multiple reports, Mark Zuckerberg is leading recruitment himself. That includes closed-door meetings with experts at his homes in Lake Tahoe and Palo Alto, strategic restructuring of Meta’s offices to keep the team close, and eye-watering compensation offers ranging from millions to tens of millions of dollars.

The motivation is the frustration over Meta’s perceived stagnation in the AI space. Meta’s flagship large language model, Llama 4, hasn’t produced the breakthrough results the company hoped for. 

In fact, a planned release of a more powerful version, nicknamed “Behemoth”, was recently delayed due to issues about its real-world capabilities. 

Meanwhile, competitors like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Elon Musk’s xAI are thriving hard to expand their influence, drawing talent and investment with growing momentum.

Zuckerberg is determined not to be left behind. Reports from Bloomberg and The New York Times confirm that Meta is in advanced talks to invest over $10 billion in Scale AI, a startup founded by Alexandr Wang. 

Once the deal is sealed, Wang is expected to join the AGI group, which operates separately from Meta’s existing AI research division.

“I heard of at least three instances last week where Meta lost out on AI talent to competitors offering over $2 million a year,” Menlo Ventures partner Deedy Das wrote on X.

Zuckerberg reportedly believes that Meta has the infrastructure, data scale, and financial muscle to match and surpass the progress of others in the AGI arms race. 

If achieved, the technology would likely be embedded into Meta’s ecosystem, impacting everything from WhatsApp and Instagram to the company’s Ray-Ban smart glasses and enterprise AI tools.

However, the plan leaves users questioning. How will this “superintelligence” group integrate with Meta’s existing AI teams? What risks are involved in placing so much responsibility, and expectation, on one internal unit? And is AGI even within reach? 

The field is divided and some experts believe we’re close. Others say we’re decades away, if not longer, with no clear path forward.

Still, for Zuckerberg, this is a mission.

In a Facebook post, Joelle Pineau reflected on her time at Meta, describing it as “the professional experience of a lifetime” and being grateful for the teams she worked with.

Her departure comes at a sensitive moment for Meta, which is aggressively expanding its artificial intelligence (AI) efforts. The company has committed $65 billion to AI infrastructure in 2025, with plans for a massive data centre and the development of Llama 4, its next-generation AI model. 

Since joining Meta in 2017, Pineau has highly impacted the company’s AI research sector. She was important in developing some of the company’s most widely used AI tools, including PyTorch, FAISS, RoBERTa, DINO, Llama, SAM, and Codegen. 

These projects have both powered Meta’s AI vision and also had a huge impact on the research community.

Meta’s AI research unit, known as Fundamental AI Research (FAIR), has undergone structural changes in recent years. In an outstanding shift, the division was placed under the oversight of Meta’s Chief Product Officer, Chris Cox, a strategic alignment of AI research with the company’s commercial products.

In Pineau’s post, she addressed her colleagues and mentors, “I have nothing but admiration and deep gratitude for each of my managers during my time at Meta—Michael Schroepfer, Jerome Pesenti, Michael Abrash, Chris Cox. Each of them generously took me under their wing, provided context, advice, support, cover, feedback, sponsorship—and an inspiring model of leadership, each in their own way.”

While Meta searches for a successor, Pineau has noted that she will be taking a break before pursuing her next endeavour. “My last day will be May 30. After that, I will be taking some time to observe and to reflect before jumping into a new adventure,” she stated.

Meta’s drive in AI research will now continue without one of its key architects.

The DG said this is part of efforts in implementing the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda of accelerating diversification through industrialisation and digitisation.

Inuwa made this known at the Innovate Nigeria 2024 Conference & Expo which was held at the Landmark Event Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos where he gave a thought-provoking keynote address on the role of government in advancing AI research and its implications for Nigeria’s economic future.

The DG who was represented by Dr Aristotle Onumo, the Agency’s director, Corporate Planning and Strategy Department, expressed gratitude to Nova Tech for organising and hosting the conference while emphasising its timely nature amidst the rapid acceleration of AI’s transformative potential globally.

“There could not have been any better time to hold such a conference than now when the rapid acceleration of Artificial Intelligence presents an intriguing paradox, as its seemingly limitless potential promises to revolutionise every facet of life”, he said.

Addressing the perspectives of government involvement in AI research, Inuwa began by citing global trends where governments including the US and China have allocated significant funds for AI research through their recognition of its innovation drive and economic growth potential.

He underscored the positive correlation between government investment and advancements in AI, highlighting its projected market value surpassing $190 billion by 2025.

While speaking on the Nigerian government’s contributions to AI research, Inuwa outlined key initiatives which include direct investment in research and development, establishment of collaborative ecosystems, formulation of policies and regulations, fostering international collaboration and supporting education and workforce development.

He emphatically stated that these contributions directly align with the government’s 8-point agenda, particularly emphasising the importance of creating an enabling environment for innovation and entrepreneurship to thrive.

“It may interest the audience to note that the 8-point agenda of the present administration aptly captures the requirements of the government in terms of what needs to be done”.

“The 7th agenda which is Accelerating Diversification through Industrialisation, Digitisation, Creative Arts, Manufacturing and Innovation resonates with the specific role of government in AI research upon which democratisation of digital service to create more economic value anchors”, he mentioned.

Inuwa further elucidated on NITDA ’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan which aims to elevate the country’s AI research ranking and foster digital literacy and talent development.

While emphasising the need for collaboration and partnership frameworks to fund research as well as the government’s efforts in nurturing a vibrant innovation ecosystem, he said that the Agency’s subsidiary, the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics is open 24 hours a day to guide, nurture and support startups through the journey of conceptualising their ideas all through to the level of impact and commercialisation.

Conclusively, Inuwa reiterated the transformative potential of AI in driving economic prosperity and emphasised the importance of collaboration between the government and the ecosystem towards exploring new frontiers of knowledge.