Written by: Long Yue

Source: Wall Street Journal

With the in-depth application of AI technology, Meta is trying to reshape the way of working by creating an "AI-native" company, starting with its CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Recently, it was reported that Meta's CEO Zuckerberg is developing a dedicated "CEO agent" to help him perform his duties more efficiently.

According to insiders who spoke to the Wall Street Journal, the AI agent that Zuckerberg is developing is still in the development phase. Its main function is to help Zuckerberg obtain information more quickly. In the past, he might have needed to go through layers of reporting to get answers, but now, this AI agent can directly retrieve and provide the needed information.

This project reflects a culture within Meta: accelerating work pace, eliminating redundant levels in the organizational structure, and changing the daily work habits of employees. Meta has about 78,000 employees and, facing much smaller but highly competitive AI-native startups, believes that the comprehensive adoption of AI is key to maintaining competitiveness.

Zuckerberg hinted at AI efficiency in a conference call regarding the financial report last January: one person can replace a team. He stated, "We are investing in AI-native tools so that individuals at Meta can accomplish more work. We are elevating the status of independent contributors and flattening teams." He is starting to see that "projects that used to require large teams can now be completed by a very talented individual."

Internal AI Popularization: From My Claw to Second Brain

Internally at Meta, the use of AI tools has rapidly become widespread. Part of the reason is that the use of AI tools has now become a factor in employee performance evaluations. Insiders revealed that the internal message board at Meta is filled with employees sharing new AI use cases and the new tools they built using AI.

Employees have begun using personal agent tools like My Claw. These tools can access their chat histories and work documents and can even communicate on their behalf with colleagues — or the personal agents of colleagues.

Another AI tool called Second Brain has also gained widespread attention internally. Insiders revealed that this tool, which lies between a chatbot and an agent, was built by a Meta employee based on Claude, and it can index and query documents for projects. In an internal post announcing the tool, the employee stated it "is designed to be an AI chief of staff."

Even a group specifically for employees to communicate with each other's personal agents has appeared on the internal message board. Additionally, Meta recently acquired the AI agent social media site Moltbook and hired its founder. At the same time, Meta also acquired the Singapore startup Manus, which creates personal agents that can execute tasks for users, and Meta is currently using this tool internally.

Organizational Restructuring: Ultra-Flat Structure and the Shadow of Layoffs

To accelerate the development of large language models, Meta recently established a new AI engineering organization. It is reported that these teams will adopt an ultra-flat structure, with up to 50 independent contributors reporting to one manager.

Maher Saba, a Meta executive responsible for the new organization, stated in an internal post announcing the new team, "We designed this organization to be AI-native from day one." These teams will report to the company's technology head, Andrew Bosworth.

However, this rapid change and focus on AI use has also triggered some employees' anxiety about potential layoffs. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Meta is planning to conduct large-scale layoffs, potentially reaching 20% or more. Based on Meta having approximately 79,000 employees as of the end of last December, the number of layoffs could exceed 15,000.