Global DeskYann LeCun, Meta's longtime chief scientist, reportedly decided to lee Meta Platforms Inc., and insiders say it was almost inevitable. Yuchen Jin, co-founder and CTO of Hyperbolic, suggested on X that LeCun's exit happened because CEO Mark Zuckerberg bet $15 billion on Alexandr Wang and made LeCun report directly to him.Jin wrote that Zuckerberg “panicked” after OpenAI’s ChatGPT became a big success, while Meta’s Llama 4 large language model did not perform as expected, as per the report by Benzinga. According to Jin, Zuckerberg grew impatient with LeCun’s long-term approach to AI research, which led to tensions and the reported fallout.
LeCun disagreed with AI directionLeCun reportedly never believed that large language models (LLMs) could lead to artificial general intelligence (AGI). Jin said, “Yann never believed in LLM-to-AGI. Zuck's patience ran out.” Jin compared the situation to Google rehiring AI pioneer Noam Shazeer, saying, “Zuck might buy Yann back at a crazy price.” Shazeer had left Google in 2021 to start Character.AI, and Google spent $2.7 billion in 2024 to bring him back. Previously, LeCun reported to Chief Product Officer Chris Cox, but after the shake-up, he had to report to Alexandr Wang, the 27-year-old Scale AI founder. Wang now leads Meta's new "superintelligence" division, reflecting Zuckerberg’s shift from fundamental AI research toward faster, product-focused AI innovation. Meta AI race heats upLeCun has always said LLMs are “useful” but cannot reason or plan like humans, which reportedly clashed with Meta's new AI direction, as per the report by Benzinga. Wang defended Meta’s AI progress on X, saying visits to Meta AI surged 105% month-over-month in October 2025, surpassing rivals like Perplexity and Claude, citing Similarweb data.
Live EventsInvestors are concerned about Meta losing the AI race. Steve Eisman warned that Google and Microsoft could outperform Meta, especially as Zuckerberg plans to invest over $600 billion in U.S.-based AI infrastructure by 2028. Meta stock closed at $627.08 on Tuesday, down 0.74%, and after-hours trading showed a slight decline of 0.01% to $627. Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate META has been trending downward in short, medium, and long-term periods. FAQsQ1. Why did Yann LeCun lee Meta?Yann LeCun reportedly left Meta because Mark Zuckerberg shifted AI leadership to Alexandr Wang and disagreed with LeCun’s long-term AI approach.Q2. What is Alexandr Wang’s role at Meta?
Alexandr Wang now leads Meta’s “superintelligence” division, focusing on fast, product-focused AI innovation.
Add
as a Reliable and Trusted News Source
Add Now!
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)Read More News onYann LeCun departureMeta Platforms Inc.Alexandr WangMark Zuckerbergmetas aizuckerbergsmeta(Catch all the US News, UK News, Canada News, International Breaking News Events, and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.)
Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily International News Updates.
...moreless(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)Read More News onYann LeCun departureMeta Platforms Inc.Alexandr WangMark Zuckerbergmetas aizuckerbergsmeta(Catch all the US News, UK News, Canada News, International Breaking News Events, and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.)
Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily International News Updates.
...morelessExplore More Stories
Who is Ben Watsa, the future chairman of Fairfax financial and heir to Prem Watsa’s $100-billion empire?
Zdeno Chára, Alexander Mogilny, Joe Thornton among eight inducted into 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame class
Are Facebook ads helping users buy illegal drugs by mail in Canada - Drugs trel through an ad to a postal delivery; $9 million worth of illegal drugs were turned over to police in 2024 by Canada Post
Alberta nursing care workers threaten massive strike, what are they demanding; Alberta Finance minister responds as time runs out; all you need to know
Anunay Sood death: What we know about his networth, family, journey, relationships, and career
Anunay Sood's ex-fiancée Brinda Sharma: Why did the two influencers call off their engagement?
Anunay Sood’s final Instagram post just days before death: ‘Still can't believe I spent the weekend surrounded by legends and dream machines’
Anunay Sood, acclaimed trel creator with millions of followers, dies at 32
Quebec Municipal Election: results for all cities in Quebec, find out list of winners, runner-ups, election plans, and more; Ferrada takes home Montreal post 8-yr Liberal rule
Former Liberal now “centrist” Soraya Martinez Ferrada elected Montreal mayor defeating 8 years of left-leaning mayoralty of city; read more to find out why she left the Liberals, “reviewing bike lanes, tackling homelessness” agenda?
Sam Hamad loses Quebec City mayoral race to Bruno Marchand; former Liberal minister faces accusations of threats to daughter, etc. find out more on details, history & controversies of Syrian-born Quebecer
Canadian ‘Reagan ad expose’ damages Trump-era economics? Carney apologises amid Trump’s brouhaha over 1987 Ronald Reagan ad showcasing tariff as weak strategy; US Prez stubborn ‘NO’ on resuming trade
Canada Shooting: Indian origin business tycoon found dead in Abbotsford, B.C., son identifies him as victim of homicide; shocking details emerge amid probe
123