Meta has been on a massive AI push recently, spending billions of dollars on its AI expansion. But it looks like Meta’s AI division may not be too keen on Mark Zuckerberg’s management style.
Meta flushed out billions of dollars to bring young prodigy Alexander Wang to the helm of the company’s AI division, but it seems like Wang and Zuckerberg are not meshing.
The tech wunderkind now believes CEO Zuckerberg’s micromanagement of the company’s AI push is “suffocating,” according to a report by the Financial Times,
Behind the scenes, Wang has reportedly complained to associates that Zuckerberg’s tight grip on the effort is stifling progress, the Financial Times reported, citing multiple people familiar with the situation.
READ: Meta invests $14.3 billion in Scale AI, brings CEO Alexandr Wang onboard (June 13, 2025)
Alexander Wang is an American tech entrepreneur and AI leader best known for founding Scale AI, a company that supplies annotated data used to train machine‑learning models — a foundational service used by major tech firms. Born in New Mexico to physicist parents, Wang demonstrated early talent in math and computing, briefly studying at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) before dropping out in 2016 to focus full‑time on Scale AI.
The startup quickly became integral to the AI ecosystem, working with companies such as Nvidia, Amazon, and Meta itself, and by 2024 the business had achieved a valuation near $14 billion, making Wang among the youngest self‑made billionaires in the AI industry.
In June , Mark Zuckerberg and Meta made a huge strategic bet on Wang’s leadership by investing approximately $14.3 billion in Scale AI and bringing Wang to Meta to lead a new division focused on superintelligence. This move was aimed at revitalizing Meta’s AI ambitions amid fierce competition from rivals like OpenAI and Google. Wang’s role involves overseeing Meta’s entire AI operation, including research, product, and infrastructure teams under the superintelligence initiative.
According to media reports, Wang’s unhappiness is just the latest manifestation of the internal upheaval engulfing Meta, which has been beset by repeated layoffs, senior executive exits, rushed AI rollouts and eye-popping spending that has shaken morale and fueled investor anxiety.
Meta’s ambitious AI expansion highlights both the company’s drive to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving tech landscape and the challenges that accompany such aggressive growth.
The tension between visionary goals and internal management practices illustrates a broader theme seen in many fast-moving tech companies: attracting top talent and investing massive resources does not automatically guarantee smooth execution or alignment at the leadership level.
The apparent friction between Wang and existing management underscores the difficulty of integrating high-profile hires into established corporate cultures, especially when rapid decision-making and centralized control collide with the autonomy expected by AI innovators.
Beyond individual personalities, these developments point to systemic pressures within Meta, where supposed accelerated timelines, substantial financial commitments, and intense public scrutiny create an environment ripe for conflict, according to reports citing anonymous sources familiar with the situation.
Investor concerns, employee morale, and operational efficiency are all vulnerable when organizational cohesion is strained. Moving forward, Meta’s ability to translate its financial and technological investments into sustained innovation may depend less on sheer capital and more on fostering collaborative leadership, clear communication, and flexible management structures.