Mark Zuckerberg Halts AI Hiring After Million-Dollar Talent Poaching Sparks Investor Backlash Amid Meta's 'Superintelligence Efforts:' Report

Meta Platforms has frozen hiring in its artificial intelligence division after months of aggressive recruitment, The Wall Street Journal reported. The freeze, effective last week, prohibits external hires and internal team transfers within the AI division. The company had lured over 50 researchers and engineers from rivals including OpenAI, Alphabet, and Apple with compensation packages up to $100 million. Morgan Stanley analysts warned that escalating stock-based pay could reduce Meta’s buyback capacity and weigh on shareholder returns, contributing to tech stock selloffs. The freeze follows Meta’s reorganization of its Superintelligence Labs into four specialized divisions after dissolving its AGI Foundations team due to underwhelming Llama model results.