Meta’s $14.3 billion bet on Scale AI in June brought CEO Alexandr Wang and a team of top executives to lead the newly formed Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL). But just a few months in, signs of strain are emerging.

Ruben Mayer, Scale AI’s former SVP of GenAI Product and Operations, left Meta after only two months. Some reports claimed Mayer’s role was limited to AI data operations, excluding him from TBD Labs, the core AI research division. Mayer clarified he was part of TBD Labs from day one and resigned due to personal reasons.

TBD Labs is also broadening its partnerships, relying more on third-party vendors such as Surge and Mercor. Researchers reportedly prefer these alternatives to Scale AI’s datasets, highlighting challenges despite Meta’s massive investment.