Mark Zuckerberg is aggressively pursuing top AI talent, even considering the acquisition of major players in the industry. Discussions with Safe Superintelligence, thinking Machines Lab, and Perplexity, an AI-native search engine, reveal Meta’s escalating AI ambitions. Daniel Gross and Nat Friedman are slated to lead Meta’s AI assistant, while Sam Altman of OpenAI expresses concern over the intense recruitment effort by the tech giant.Furthermore, Meta eyes expansion through automation. Read more in this special dispatch from News Directory 3. Discover what’s next in the realm of AI and Meta’s ever-evolving strategy aimed at dominating the sector.
Meta’s Zuckerberg Eyes AI Talent, Automation Expansion
Updated June 21, 2025
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been actively exploring acquisitions of AI startups, including Ilya sutskever’s Safe Superintelligence (SSI), Mira Murati’s Thinking Machines Lab, and Perplexity, an AI-native search engine. Sources familiar with the matter said that while discussions occurred, none progressed to formal offers due to disagreements over price and strategy.
Zuckerberg’s aggressive pursuit underscores his commitment to revitalizing Meta’s AI efforts amid fierce competition for top AI talent. Daniel Gross, co-founder and CEO of SSI, and former Github CEO Nat Friedman are expected to co-lead Meta’s AI assistant, reporting to Alexandr Wang, previously CEO of Scale AI. Wang, recently hired by meta, has been meeting with company leaders to build the new AI team, expected to be unveiled soon.
Instead of joining Meta, Sutskever, Murati, and Perplexity CEO Aravind srinivas have opted to raise additional capital at higher valuations. Sutskever recently secured billions in funding for SSI, with both Meta and Google as investors.Murati also raised billions, while Srinivas is reportedly raising around $500 million for Perplexity.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, seems uneasy with Zuckerberg’s recruitment efforts. His recent comments suggesting that “none of our best people” are leaving for Meta have been interpreted as defensive, especially considering OpenAI’s substantial investment in hiring Jony Ive and his hardware team.
“We think that glasses are the best form factor for AI,” said Alex Himel, Meta’s VP of wearables.
Meta is also exploring further automation in human-intensive areas like sales and customer service, according to sources.
What’s next
Meta’s focus on AI extends to wearables, with the company believing that glasses are the ideal form factor for AI integration.the unveiling of Zuckerberg’s new AI team is anticipated soon, signaling a significant push in Meta’s AI strategy.
