Inside Meta's Intense Year of AI, Culture Clashes, and Strategic Shifts

When Mark Zuckerberg alerted Meta staff at the start of the year that they were in for an 'intense' experience, he truly set the stage.

Determined to lead the upcoming AI revolution, Meta launched a high-paced campaign, restructuring units, directing resources toward new ventures, and investing heavily in AI competition against giants like OpenAI and Google. This move was accompanied by a shift towards a more assertive leadership ethos, as Zuckerberg emphasized a 'masculine energy.'

Meanwhile, the corporation scaled back its virtual universe goals, heightened performance expectations, and slashed a significant number of jobs, all in pursuit of Zuckerberg's vision for 'personal superintelligence'.

These actions have, on one hand, bolstered efficiency and accelerated innovation, but have also stirred up internal friction, especially due to AI department overhauls and Zuckerberg's aggressive talent acquisition strategy. The layoffs earlier this year were seen by some as demoralizing, particularly when those affected were labeled 'underperformers'.

Amid an era where tech giants are reshaping strategies, cutting costs, and betting heavily on AI as the future, Meta is relying on a rapid and forceful approach to edge out competitors. After implementing a cultural reset in early 2025, Meta reports have shown a recent upsurge in employee optimism.

However, investors express concern regarding Meta's aggressive spending on AI, questioning if the investment is excessive. The company has seen its shares increase by a modest 7.5% this year, underperforming relative to the S&P 500 and other leading tech companies.

According to Mike Proulx, research director at Forrester, it is crucial for Meta to clearly define its strategy, illustrating how all aspects integrate and ensuring consistent growth.

This narrative of Meta's intense year is informed by interviews with over a dozen current and prior staff, analysts, and scholars.

The AI Restructuring

In an effort to revamp Meta's AI image over the summer, Zuckerberg initiated several major moves. These included a $14 billion investment in Scale AI, bringing on young founder Alexandr Wang as chief AI officer, and relaunching the AI team under the new banner, Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL).

As Meta's higher-ups realigned teams and enticed leading figures from rival firms, some former insiders openly questioned Meta's strategic clarity in AI.

Joena Zhang, ex-Meta Superintelligence Labs member, remarked in November that there was a pervasive lack of direction at MSL earlier this year when it was still known as GenAI. She highlighted the frequency of non-productive meetings.

Meta's strategy of offering lucrative compensation to attract top-tier AI talent from competitors like OpenAI and Google's DeepMind sparked disparities between existing staff and new recruits.

This approach also led to competition over limited computing resources and high-profile projects within MSL itself, echoing sentiments from a former researcher.

Operational and Leadership Adjustments

August witnessed Meta's fourth major organizational restructuring in pursuit of streamlined AI operations, dividing the MSL into four distinct teams, including a new 'to be determined' Lab, and reshuffling personnel, causing uncertainty over project responsibilities.

A Meta representative referred to earlier reports on their AI restructuring as unrelated introspection, downplaying the organizational shifts.

Following this upheaval, a noticeable number of AI personnel, including researchers and engineers, departed from Meta, with the company attributing this to typical organizational turnover.

Subsequent job cuts affected around 600 roles as part of a broader AI restructuring, described by Wang as a measure to enhance decision-making speed.

Shay Boloor from Futurum Equities highlighted how these changes have accelerated Meta’s AI release timeline, spreading AI integration across its platforms effectively.

Performance Pressure and Employee Sentiment

In tandem with its AI strategy, Meta has ramped up operational efficiency through reduced management layers and a firmer performance evaluation process, much stricter than in previous years.

Increased performance scrutiny prompted a substantial job reduction in February, and managers were instructed to reflect higher proportions of poor performers in reviews by mid-year, fostering a competitive, high-pressure atmosphere.

Feedback from multiple employees suggests these measures have led to a more cutthroat environment, with a focus on short-term project survival.

Nevertheless, recent internal surveys suggest improved employee optimism, pride, and leadership confidence, showing notable gains since early year assessments.

Turning Points and Employee Turnover

The combination of strategic changes, internal restructuring, and elevated performance standards has prompted a wave of exits, with some employees indicating misalignment with Meta’s shifting governance and political directions.

Throughout 2025, departing staff cited principles at odds with what they perceived as excessive alignment with new government policies, revealing these concerns through internal farewell posts.

A Meta spokesperson conveyed that these departures constitute a minor fraction of their workforce, noting an 8% increase in overall employee numbers year-over-year.

As some leave, others within Meta find the evolving environment stimulating and look forward to opportunities within advanced research domains and staff rewarding ecosystem.