Inside Meta’s Superintelligence Mission: Zuckerberg’s AI Power Move with Tech’s Top Talent

In the fast-moving world of AI, Meta is turning heads with the formation of its new elite unit — Meta Superintelligence Labs — an ambitious initiative launched by CEO Mark Zuckerberg to build the most advanced artificial intelligence system on the planet. With a goal to develop "personal superintelligence", this team is already drawing industry-wide attention for its bold vision and record-breaking hiring deals.

At the heart of this initiative is Alexandr Wang, the former CEO of Scale AI, now serving as Meta's Chief AI Officer. Meta had previously invested $14.3 billion in Wang’s company and has since brought him onboard to lead its AI revolution. Following Wang’s entry, Meta has gone on a talent acquisition spree, poaching experts from industry rivals like OpenAI, Google, Apple, DeepMind, and Anthropic.

The concept of “superintelligence” at Meta goes beyond traditional artificial general intelligence (AGI). According to Zuckerberg, it’s not just about making machines smarter — it’s about creating AI that integrates seamlessly into everyday life, enhancing human potential rather than replacing it. In a recent blog post, he explained, “Personal intelligence can help us achieve our goals and will be by far the most useful.”

Imagine smart glasses that not only hear and see what you do, but also respond intelligently to your needs throughout the day. That’s the kind of technology Meta envisions — devices that become so useful, opting out could feel like falling behind cognitively. “The ultimate goal is to empower individuals, not just automate work,” Zuckerberg says. “Meta's vision is to bring personal superintelligence to everyone.”

To make this vision real, Meta is pouring billions into hiring top-tier AI talent. Reports suggest that salaries for some recruits range from $10 million to a staggering $200 million annually — a declaration of open salary warfare in Silicon Valley.

Among the prominent names in Meta's AI roster:

· Shengjia Zhao, a co-creator of ChatGPT, is now a lead scientist at Meta Superintelligence Labs.

· Ruoming Pang, formerly Apple’s head of AI models, reportedly joined for a jaw-dropping $200 million package.

· Trapit Bansal, an OpenAI veteran, is said to have been offered around $100 million.

· Nat Friedman, ex-GitHub CEO, is co-leading the initiative with Wang.

· AI experts Shuchao Bi, Ji Lin, and Jiahui Yu — all with deep OpenAI experience — have also come on board.

Additional key hires include Joel Pobar, Jack Rae, Pei Sun, and Johan Schalkwyk, each bringing expertise in large-scale AI systems, voice recognition, and multimodal learning.

But while Zuckerberg’s pivot to AI is bold, critics remain cautious. His earlier mega-investment in the metaverse — which even led to the rebranding of Facebook to Meta — has yet to meet expectations. Virtual reality, once his top bet, remains a niche.

Now, with AI as the new frontier, some tech leaders are skeptical. Alibaba Cloud founder Wang Jian recently remarked, “The only thing you need to do is get the right person, not necessarily an expensive person… true innovation comes from talent nobody is watching.”

Whether Meta's superintelligence vision will redefine AI or repeat past missteps remains to be seen. One thing is certain: Zuckerberg is betting big — and he's not holding back.