TiJoelle Pineau Announces Departure as Meta's AI Research Chief

Joelle Pineau, Vice President of AI Research at Meta, has announced her departure after nearly eight years with the company. Her last day will be May 30, 2025. ​

Pineau joined Meta in 2017 to lead the Montreal AI research lab and became head of the Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) group in 2023. She played an important role in developing Meta's Llama series of open-source large language models, Besides, she also contributed to advancements in machine learning frameworks like PyTorch and AI applications in voice translation and image recognition. ​

Her departure coincides with Meta's intensified focus on AI, with plans to invest between $60 billion and $65 billion in AI development this year, including expanding data centre infrastructure and increasing the number of graphics processing units (GPUs) to 1.3 million. Pineau's exit presents a leadership challenge as Meta competes with firms like OpenAI and Anthropic. The company has not yet announced a successor. ​

Pineau did not disclose her next career move but plans to take some time to reflect before embarking on a new journey. ​