The logo of Meta is seen at the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, June 11, 2025.
Meta Platforms has paused hiring for its new artificial intelligence division, the company confirmed Thursday, ending a spending spree that saw it acquire a wave of costly AI researchers and engineers.
The pause was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, which said it went into effect last week amid a broader restructuring of the group, citing people familiar with the matter.
In a statement shared with CNBC, a Meta spokesperson said that the pause was simply "some basic organizational planning: creating a solid structure for our new superintelligence efforts after bringing people on board and undertaking yearly budgeting and planning exercises."
According to the WSJ report, a recent restructuring inside Meta has divided its AI efforts into four teams. That includes a team focused on building machine superintelligence, dubbed the "TBD lab," or "To Be Determined," an AI products division, an infrastructure division, and a division that focuses on longer-term projects and exploration.
It added that all four groups belong to "Meta Superintelligence Labs," a name that reflects Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg's desire to build AI that surpasses human intelligence.
In pursuit of that goal, Meta has been aggressively spending on AI this year. That included efforts to poach top talent from other AI companies, with offers said to include signing bonuses as high as $100 million.
In one of its most aggressive moves, Meta acquired Alexandr Wang, founder of Scale AI, as part of a deal that saw the Facebook parent dish out $14.3 billion for a 49% stake in the AI startup.
Wang now leads the company's AI lab focused on advancing its Llama series of open-source large language models.