🤖🚀 YANN LECUN LEAVING META TO LAUNCH AI START‑UP

PIONEERING DEEP‑LEARNING SCIENTIST SETS OUT ON NEW VENTURE AMID META’S AI RESTRUCTURE

MENLO PARK, California — November 11, 2025. Deep‑learning pioneer Yann LeCun, currently Chief AI Scientist at Meta Platforms, is reportedly planning to leave the company in the coming months in order to launch his own artificial‑intelligence start‑up, according to the Financial Times, citing people familiar with the matter.

LeCun, winner of the 2018 Turing Award for his foundational work on convolutional neural networks, has been with Meta (formerly Facebook) since 2013, heading its Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) unit. Reuters+1 His new venture is reportedly in early discussions to raise funding and will focus on “world models” — AI systems designed to learn from physical interactions rather than purely language‑based large‑language models.

The departure plans come as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has reorganized the company’s AI efforts under a newly created Superintelligence Labs, led by Alexandr Wang, former CEO of Scale AI. That reorganization has moved LeCun into a diminished role — previously reporting to the chief product officer, he now reports to Wang.

Industry observers say the move signals tension between Meta’s immediate product‑driven AI agenda and LeCun’s longer‑term research focus on foundational AI systems. LeCun has publicly criticized the dominance of large‑language model (LLM) approaches, arguing they cannot yet reason like humans.

Meta declined to comment on the exit reports, and LeCun did not respond to interview requests. Financial Times sources say he could exit “in the coming months.”

For Meta, the loss of a marquee AI researcher comes at a time when the company is pledging significant AI investment — it has committed around USD 600 billion to U.S. AI infrastructure over the next three years — but also grappling with organizational shake‑ups and investor pressure.

LeCun’s planned start‑up could reshape the AI ecosystem, particularly if it focuses on novel architectures beyond current LLMs. Analysts say this could intensify competition for AI talent and capital outside big tech.

Whether LeCun’s departure will hurt Meta’s AI roadmap or intensify the company’s drive to buy or build replacement talent remains to be seen — but for now, the move draws a clear line in the sand in a battleground where research and product collide.