Meta shifts Metaverse executive to AI following job cuts

Meta Platforms Inc. has recently made significant changes within its organizational structure, shifting a key executive from the metaverse division to lead its artificial intelligence (AI) product efforts. Vishal Shah, who has been at the forefront of Meta’s metaverse initiatives for the past four years, is now set to head the Meta Superintelligence Labs group. This move comes shortly after the company cut around 600 jobs from its AI organization, a decision that Meta’s chief AI officer, Alexandr Wang, explained was intended to help the AI team move faster and become more efficient. Shah, who previously led product at Instagram before diving into metaverse work, will now focus on integrating Meta’s AI technologies, such as the Meta AI chatbot, into a range of the company’s applications and wearable devices. This shift reflects Meta’s strategic pivot towards AI as a core priority, especially under CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s guidance, who has committed tens of billions of dollars this year to build data centers and expand AI research capabilities to keep pace with competitors like OpenAI and Google. To fill the gap left by Shah’s movement, Meta has also promoted two other executives to oversee metaverse-related operations. Gabe Aul, previously steering product efforts for Meta Horizon—Meta’s flagship virtual world—will now manage all metaverse activities, including avatars and content creation. Meanwhile, Ryan Cairns, responsible for Meta’s Quest VR hardware and the Meta OS VR platform, will continue in his role but now reports directly to CTO Andrew Bosworth. Bosworth reassured employees that despite the reassignments and job cuts, the metaverse remains an important, company-wide priority. In an internal memo, he stressed that their metaverse thesis has been proven to the industry, with competitors still trying to catch up, so Meta must maintain its leading edge. These internal shifts come as Meta prepares to release its third-quarter earnings report, where AI is expected to be a major topic of discussion. The reorganization illustrates how Meta is actively balancing investment and focus between its ambitious metaverse vision and the rapidly evolving AI landscape. As the tech giant navigates these dual priorities, it’s clear that AI is currently taking precedence in terms of resource allocation and leadership attention. Overall, the reshuffling of senior personnel and the reduction in AI team size indicates a drive toward leaner, more agile development within Meta's AI efforts, while still maintaining strong momentum in its long-term metaverse projects. This dual approach underscores Meta's strategy to innovate aggressively in AI while not abandoning its foundational metaverse goals.