On October 28th, just a week after Meta laid off 600 employees from its AI division, Mark Zuckerberg unveiled a significant personnel reshuffle in an internal memo issued on Monday. Vishal Shah, the long-tenured (a decade at the helm) head of Meta's metaverse business, is set to take on a new role as Vice President of AI Products. This move follows the underwhelming performance of Meta's hastily launched AI video app, Vibes, when compared to OpenAI's Sora.

Shah's primary mandate will be to bridge the divide between cutting-edge AI technologies and their practical product applications. The employees who were laid off predominantly hail from the AI infrastructure, foundational research, and product teams. Their last day at the company is scheduled for November 21st. In a show of support, Meta will offer these departing employees a base severance package equivalent to 16 weeks' pay, along with additional compensation based on their tenure.

This strategic reorganization underscores Meta's commitment to redirecting its resources towards the burgeoning AI sector, as it seeks to gain a competitive edge in the fiercely contested race for superintelligence.