TechCheck Meta's chief AI scientist reportedly departing 11/11/25
Nov 11, 2025
Deirdre Bosa, a tech reporter from CNBC, dives into the departure of Meta's chief AI scientist, Yan LeCun, who plans to start his own AI venture. The discussion highlights LeCun's unique focus on world models versus the industry's trend of developing larger models. Deirdre also explores the broader trend of top AI researchers leaving big firms for startups, questioning Meta’s ability to compete without a cloud business and evaluating investor reactions to the company's shifts in focus.
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Research Vs. Product Tension At Meta
- Yan LeCun's skepticism of generative AI put him at odds with Meta's commercialization push.
- His exit signals a shift from research-first to product-first priorities at Meta.
Llama's Decline Fuels Investor Doubt
- Meta's Llama has slipped in LLM rankings and faces stronger Chinese open-source competitors.
- That decline helps explain investor doubt and Meta's underperformance versus other mega caps.
World Models Versus Scale-First Strategy
- LeCun plans to pursue 'world models' that learn by observing the physical world, a slower approach to understanding intelligence.
- This contrasts with the 'bigger-is-better' scale-driven strategy dominating Meta and others.