Meta AI researcher calls out Mark Zuckerberg-led company's culture in exit email: 'It's not just dysfunction, it's...'

An artificial intelligence (AI) researcher at Meta, who is leaving the Facebook parent company, has called out the tech giant's internal culture, likening it to a "metastatic" cancer in a farewell email. Metastatic cancer is when the disease spreads to parts of the body other than where it started. The email, which has been accessed by The Information, was written by Tijmen Blankevoort, a senior member of the team behind Meta's LLaMA AI models.

'A culture of fear'
In his departing note, Blankevoort criticised the Mark Zuckerberg-led company's AI division, which he said was marred by anxiety and organisational chaos. "We are in a culture of fear," he wrote, underscoring constant performance reviews and repeated layoffs in the department. He further alleged that many employees were unhappy in their roles and lacked a clear understanding of the team's overall purpose.

Meta's mega AI plans
Continuing his rebuke, Blankevoort added: "It's not just dysfunction, it's a metastatic cancer that is affecting the entire organisation." The accusations come even as Meta has set huge AI ambitions: It has established a new Superintelligence Labs unit, focused on developing artificial general intelligence (AGI). The company has also stepped up its hiring efforts, looking to lure top talent by offering lucrative compensation packages. Recent hires include senior people from top-notch firms including Apple and Google. This has also drawn criticism with competitors, with ChatGPT-creator OpenAI's executives slamming Meta's approach to poaching talent, even though the latter has defended its actions. However, the exit message from Blankevoort has sparked discussions among employees and reflection within the company.