Behind Meta’s aggressive push into artificial intelligence, signs of internal strain are becoming harder to ignore. A newly revealed reporting structure has highlighted growing friction between CEO Mark Zuckerberg and the company’s highest-paid executive, Alexandr Wang.
Wang, the 28-year-old founder hired in a $14 billion deal to lead Meta’s AI ambitions, is said by multiple people close to the company to be frustrated with Zuckerberg’s deeply hands-on management style. At the same time, several employees are questioning whether Wang has the experience needed to guide Meta’s massive $600 billion AI bet.
The tension reportedly became clear during a key meeting last fall. Wang’s TBD Lab team clashed with senior executives Chris Cox and Andrew Bosworth over strategy. Cox and Bosworth wanted Wang’s new AI model trained on Instagram and Facebook data to strengthen Meta’s advertising business. Wang resisted, arguing that the priority should be catching up with OpenAI and Google first. He warned that product-focused training could slow progress.
This disagreement has fueled an internal divide. Wang’s researchers are described as focused on superintelligence, while long-time teams are seen as tied to social media products. Some employees even speculated that $2 billion was shifted from Bosworth’s Reality Labs budget to Wang’s group. Meta denied that figure, but the speculation continues.
Concerns about Wang’s leadership deepened in 11/2025, when Yann LeCun, Meta’s top AI scientist and a Turing Award winner, chose to leave rather than report to him. Sources say LeCun was uncomfortable working under someone whose background was data labeling rather than advanced AI research. Earlier, Nat Friedman also faced pressure to accelerate work, with his team unhappy about the rushed rollout of Meta’s AI video feed, Vibes.
Wang has told associates that Zuckerberg’s micromanagement feels suffocating. Yet Zuckerberg reportedly hired him precisely because he believed Wang would execute his vision of “personal superintelligence.” That close attention now feels more like constant oversight.
This week, Zuckerberg announced Meta Compute, a new initiative reporting directly to him. Santosh Janardhan and Daniel Gross will lead it, with Dina Powell McCormick overseeing government relations. The move centralizes infrastructure decisions above Wang and signals tighter control as Meta spends billions on AI.
Wang’s team lost only 2 researchers during its first vesting period in 11/2025, showing some internal support. Still, the restructuring sends a clear message. Even Meta’s most expensive hire operates under Zuckerberg’s watch, raising fresh questions about trust, control, and the future of Meta’s AI strategy.
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