Meta Aims to Hire AI Investors Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross

Meta is in discussions to hire AI investors Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross, with a potential buyout of their venture fund, NFDG. The move aims to strengthen Meta’s AI endeavors. This follows recent investments and recruiting efforts emphasizing a strategic focus on advancing AI capabilities within the company.

Meta is reportedly in talks with notable AI investors Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross, with a plan to partly acquire their venture capital fund, NFDG. The aim? To have these two lead the company’s AI initiatives more effectively. An article by The Information surfaced on June 18, citing sources who wish to remain anonymous. Reaction from Meta regarding the request for comment remains absent as of now.

NFDG has positioned itself as a key player in the AI startup scene, having invested in firms like Perplexity, The Bot Company, and Safe Superintelligence. Should Meta proceed with the buyout, they would hold minority stakes in these startups without receiving specific operational details about them. Also noteworthy, Gross is not just an investor; he’s a co-founder of Safe Superintelligence, which, if he moves to Meta, would mean stepping away from that role.

Interestingly, Friedman’s ties to Meta go back a bit. He’s part of an advisory group that’s currently consulting Meta’s executives on their AI strategies. This news comes just after Scale AI, a data-labeling startup, announced a significant investment from Meta, with its founder, Alexandr Wang, set to join Meta’s AI initiatives as well.

Earlier reports, dating back to June 11, pointed toward Meta aggressively scouting top engineers from various tech firms for its artificial general intelligence (AGI) team. The company is eyeing a total of around 50 hires, which includes a chief scientist. There’s a growing urgency at Meta, especially under CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has been seen actively recruiting talent from his homes in Lake Tahoe and Palo Alto over the last few weeks.

There’s also some juicy intel surfacing about signing bonuses. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly mentioned that Meta is dangling nine-figure offers to lure away some of his company’s workforce. Just a month earlier, Meta had been restructuring its generative AI team with the goal of speeding up product rollouts to stay competitive in this fast-changing AI landscape. Meta appears to be doubling down on AI, and it’s quite likely we’ll see more bold moves from them soon.

In sum, Meta is reportedly looking to enhance its AI capabilities by potentially onboarding prominent investors Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross while also partially buying out their venture capital fund, NFDG. The tech giant’s focus on AI is evident with its recent investments and recruitment strategies designed to boost its expertise and competitive edge in this rapidly evolving industry. The efforts, fueled by hefty financial incentives, showcase Meta’s commitment to leading in AI development.

Original Source: www.pymnts.com