Yann LeCun, Meta’s former chief AI scientist and a pioneering figure in artificial intelligence, has opened up about his distaste for management roles and his vision for his new AI venture. In a candid interview with MIT Technology Review published Thursday, the 65-year-old AI luminary revealed that despite his technical brilliance, leadership positions left him unfulfilled.
“I can do management, but I don’t like doing it,” LeCun stated, reflecting on his time directing Meta’s Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) lab, which he founded. “I kind of hated being a director,” he admitted, emphasizing that his strengths lie in vision and scientific research rather than career management. LeCun described his “mission in life” as accelerating technological progress and inspiring others to pursue their interests, not climbing the corporate ladder.
In November, LeCun announced his departure from Meta after 12 years with the tech giant and unveiled plans to launch his own AI company. His new venture, AMI Labs, is a Paris-based startup focused on developing world models—a sophisticated type of AI system designed to closely mirror and understand the real world. The company will prioritize open-source solutions and positions itself as one of the few frontier AI labs that is “neither Chinese nor American,” offering a European alternative in the global AI race.
LeCun will serve as executive chairman of AMI Labs, while Alex LeBrun, his former colleague from Meta AI, takes on the CEO role. This arrangement allows LeCun to focus on the visionary and technical aspects he excels at while leaving day-to-day management to LeBrun. LeCun will also continue his teaching position at New York University.
The AI pioneer didn’t hold back criticism of Meta’s recent decisions, expressing disagreement with CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s choice to disband the robotics team within FAIR. He was particularly vocal about Alexandr Wang, the 28-year-old former CEO of data labeling startup Scale AI, whom Meta hired after investing $14.3 billion in the company to lead AI progress. LeCun criticized Wang’s lack of research experience, stating: “There’s no experience with research or how you practice research, how you do it. Or what would be attractive or repulsive to a researcher.”
Despite Wang briefly becoming his boss following Zuckerberg’s AI reorganization, LeCun made clear he wasn’t taking orders. “You don’t tell a researcher what to do,” he asserted. “You certainly don’t tell a researcher like me what to do.” LeCun acknowledged his limitations as well, describing himself as “too disorganized” and “too old” to be a CEO, while confident in his ability to “guess what type of technology will work or not.”
Key Quotes
I can do management, but I don’t like doing it. I kind of hated being a director. I am not good at this career management thing. I’m much more visionary and a scientist.
Yann LeCun explained his discomfort with leadership roles during his time directing Meta’s FAIR lab. This quote reveals why one of AI’s most influential figures is stepping away from corporate management to focus on research and vision at his new startup.
There’s no experience with research or how you practice research, how you do it. Or what would be attractive or repulsive to a researcher.
LeCun criticized Alexandr Wang’s appointment to lead AI progress at Meta despite Meta’s $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI. This highlights LeCun’s belief that AI research requires leaders who understand the research process, not just business executives.
You don’t tell a researcher what to do. You certainly don’t tell a researcher like me what to do.
LeCun asserted his independence when discussing his brief reporting relationship to the 28-year-old Wang following Meta’s AI reorganization. This statement underscores the tension between research autonomy and corporate hierarchy in Big Tech AI labs.
I’m pretty good at guessing what type of technology will work or not. But I can’t be a CEO. I’m both too disorganized for this, and also too old.
In a moment of self-awareness, the 65-year-old AI pioneer acknowledged his strengths in technical vision while recognizing his limitations in executive management, explaining why he chose the executive chairman role rather than CEO at AMI Labs.
Our Take
LeCun’s move is emblematic of a growing tension in AI between research purity and commercial imperatives. His departure from Meta after 12 years—and his pointed criticism of the company’s direction—suggests that even the most prestigious researchers feel constrained by corporate structures increasingly focused on rapid commercialization over fundamental research. The establishment of AMI Labs as a European, open-source alternative is strategically significant, potentially offering researchers an option beyond the US tech giants and Chinese state-backed labs. His focus on world models indicates where he believes the next AI breakthrough will occur—not in larger language models, but in systems that truly understand physical reality. The public nature of his criticism, particularly regarding Wang’s appointment, is unusual for someone of LeCun’s stature and may embolden other researchers to speak out about research leadership. This could reshape how AI companies structure their research divisions and whom they choose to lead them.
Why This Matters
LeCun’s departure from Meta and launch of AMI Labs represents a significant shift in the AI landscape. As one of the “godfathers of AI” and a Turing Award winner, his movements carry substantial weight in the industry. His decision to establish an independent, European-based AI lab challenges the current US-China duopoly in frontier AI research, potentially creating a third pole of innovation.
The focus on world models is particularly noteworthy, as this technology represents a crucial next step in AI development—systems that can understand and predict real-world physics and interactions, essential for robotics, autonomous systems, and more sophisticated AI applications. LeCun’s commitment to open-source development also signals a philosophical stance against the increasingly closed approaches of companies like OpenAI.
His candid criticism of Meta’s management decisions, particularly the $14.3 billion Scale AI investment and Wang’s appointment, reveals tensions within Big Tech about how AI research should be led and funded. This highlights a broader industry debate: should AI labs be run by experienced researchers or business-focused executives? LeCun’s stance—that researchers need autonomy and understanding leadership—may influence how other companies structure their AI divisions.
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Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-former-chief-scientist-yann-lecun-hated-being-a-manager-2026-1