Yann LeCun confirms exit from Meta, sets sights on new advanced AI venture
While Meta has doubled down on large language models, LeCun has repeatedly argued that these models are insufficient to achieve genuinely intelligent systems.
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Yann LeCun, one of the most influential figures in modern artificial intelligence, has confirmed he is leaving Meta to establish his own AI startup, ending months of speculation about his future at the company. The 65-year-old announced his departure in a LinkedIn post, bringing a close to his 12-year tenure — five years as the founding director of FAIR (Facebook AI Research) and seven as Meta’s Chief AI Scientist.
LeCun joined Meta in 2013 to launch FAIR, the research division that played a central role in shaping the company’s AI capabilities. However, rumours of his exit had intensified in recent months amid significant organisational changes within Meta’s AI structure.
The company recently reorganised its teams to prioritise product-focused and commercial AI efforts, creating a new unit called “Superintelligence Labs” led by 28-year-old Alexandr Wang. The restructuring resulted in LeCun shifting his reporting line from chief product officer Chris Cox to Wang. The move, coupled with Meta’s October layoffs — which disproportionately affected FAIR staff — was widely viewed as signalling a diminished role for the research group LeCun helped build.
Observers also pointed to divergence in AI philosophy. While Meta has doubled down on large language models, LeCun has repeatedly argued that these models are insufficient to achieve genuinely intelligent systems, advocating instead for approaches that enable machines to reason, plan, and understand the physical world.
In his announcement, LeCun said he is now launching a startup dedicated to pursuing what he terms Advanced Machine Intelligence (AMI). “I am creating a startup company to continue the Advanced Machine Intelligence research programme I have been pursuing over the last several years with colleagues at FAIR, at NYU, and beyond,” he wrote. The venture will focus on developing AI systems with persistent memory, real-world understanding and long-horizon reasoning — capabilities he describes as essential for the “next big revolution in AI”.
Despite his departure, LeCun emphasised that Meta will partner with the new company and expressed gratitude to Mark Zuckerberg, Andrew Bosworth, Chris Cox and Mike Schroepfer for their long-standing support of FAIR.
