Yann LeCun, Meta’s chief AI scientist and one of the most influential figures in modern artificial intelligence, has announced his departure from the company after 12 years. The celebrated French engineer confirmed the news in a Facebook post, revealing that he is leaving to build a startup focused on pushing machine intelligence into its next revolutionary phase.
LeCun stated that his new venture will continue the Advanced Machine Intelligence (AMI) research program he has been developing alongside colleagues in recent years. The goal, he said, is to create AI systems capable of understanding the physical world, reasoning independently and planning actions — capabilities that current large language models still struggle to fully achieve.
The 65-year-old researcher described this direction as a step toward “the next big revolution in AI,” envisioning systems that could enable advanced robotics and intelligent machines that adapt to scenarios beyond their programming. If successful, the project could redefine how AI interacts with real-world environments.
Despite his departure, LeCun noted that Meta will remain a partner in the new startup, signaling that collaboration between the two entities will continue. His exit marks a significant moment for Meta’s AI leadership, especially as the company intensifies its push toward what CEO Mark Zuckerberg calls “superintelligence.”
LeCun spent more than a decade leading Meta’s FAIR lab (Facebook Artificial Intelligence Research), where he played a foundational role in the company’s scientific and technical breakthroughs in deep learning. His work helped position Meta as one of the major global players in AI research.
His departure comes months after Zuckerberg initiated a major restructuring of Meta’s AI strategy, including the creation of the Superintelligence Labs division. Alexandr Wang, co-founder of Scale AI, was recruited to lead the new unit. As part of this reshuffle, LeCun was placed under Wang’s supervision — a change that industry analysts say may have influenced his decision to branch out independently.
With LeCun setting his sights on ambitious new goals, the AI world is closely watching what his upcoming startup will bring to the rapidly advancing field of machine intelligence.
