Meta has officially named Shengjia Zhao as the Chief Scientist of its new AI division, Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL). Zhao, a former OpenAI researcher, played a key role in the development of ChatGPT, GPT-4, and OpenAI’s reasoning model o1.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared the news on Threads, emphasizing Zhao’s leadership since the lab’s creation. “Shengjia co-founded the new lab and has been our lead scientist from day one,” Zuckerberg wrote. “We’ve now formalized his role as our team continues to grow.”
A Major Step Toward AI Superintelligence
Meta is making a serious push in the AI race. With Zhao leading research at MSL, the company aims to compete directly with OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic in the development of frontier AI models.
Zhao will shape the lab’s research direction under Alexandr Wang, the recently appointed head of MSL. Wang, formerly CEO of Scale AI, does not come from a research background. Zhao’s appointment balances the team with strong technical leadership.
Why Shengjia Zhao Matters
Zhao is no ordinary hire. At OpenAI, he:
- Contributed to ChatGPT and GPT-4, two of the most widely used AI tools today.
- Helped build o1, OpenAI’s first reasoning-focused AI model.
- Pioneered what Zuckerberg called a “new scaling paradigm” in AI development.
Zhao also worked closely with Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI’s co-founder and former chief scientist.
Meta’s Star-Studded AI Recruiting Spree
Zhao isn’t joining alone. Meta has also hired:
- Jiahui Yu, Shuchao Bi, and Hongyu Ren — three influential researchers from OpenAI.
- Trapit Bansal, another OpenAI scientist who collaborated with Zhao.
- A team of multimodality researchers from OpenAI’s Zurich office.
- Top minds from Google DeepMind, Apple, Safe Superintelligence, and Anthropic.
These additions round out MSL’s leadership and deepen its technical bench.
A Growing AI Empire Inside Meta
Meta now operates three major AI groups:
- Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL) — focused on building cutting-edge frontier models.
- Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) — led by AI pioneer Yann LeCun, with a focus on long-term innovation.
- Generative AI unit — working on tools like Meta AI and creative assistants.
It’s still unclear how these teams will collaborate. However, with Zhao and LeCun at the helm of two core labs, Meta is stacking its AI leadership.
Big Investments in AI Infrastructure
To power these ambitious goals, Meta is scaling up its computing capacity.
By 2026, Zhao’s team at MSL will have access to Prometheus, a massive 1-gigawatt cloud compute cluster based in Ohio. This scale of infrastructure:
- Matches energy usage for 750,000 homes.
- Supports massive training runs needed for next-gen AI models.
- Puts Meta among the few tech giants with this level of compute firepower.
Behind the Scenes: How Meta Is Building MSL
Zuckerberg isn’t leaving anything to chance. His personal efforts to staff MSL include:
- Direct emails to high-profile researchers.
- Hosting private recruitment events at his Lake Tahoe estate.
- Offering eye-popping compensation packages, some in the eight- and nine-figure range.
- Using “exploding offers” — time-limited contracts designed to speed up hiring.
This level of urgency signals Meta’s intent to lead the future of artificial intelligence.
Why AI Reasoning Models Matter
Meta’s interest in researchers like Zhao stems from a key goal — developing advanced reasoning AI.
OpenAI’s o1 was the first model built for reasoning from the ground up. Meta has yet to release a true competitor in this area. By hiring those who helped build o1, Meta is betting big on catching up and possibly surpassing OpenAI.
What’s Next for Meta Superintelligence Labs?
With Zhao officially in place, Meta’s MSL is moving full speed ahead. Its mission:
Create world-class AI models that can think, reason, and solve problems.
Meta wants to build more than just chatbots or assistants — it’s aiming to create the building blocks of artificial general intelligence (AGI). And with its new hires, expanding infrastructure, and aggressive recruiting, it’s closer than ever.
Key Takeaways
- Shengjia Zhao is now Chief Scientist at Meta’s AI superintelligence division, MSL.
- Zhao played a major role in building ChatGPT, GPT-4, and OpenAI’s o1 reasoning model.
- Alexandr Wang, formerly of Scale AI, leads MSL, with Zhao guiding research.
- Meta is recruiting heavily from OpenAI, DeepMind, Apple, and others.
- MSL will soon tap into Prometheus, a 1-gigawatt AI training cluster.
- Meta now has two chief AI scientists — Zhao (MSL) and Yann LeCun (FAIR).
- The company is racing to build reasoning models to rival OpenAI.
Meta’s latest move signals it’s not just playing catch-up.
With Zhao at the helm, Meta Superintelligence Labs is now one of the most closely watched AI units in the world.