TechCrunch·Apr 24, 2026

Weiyao Wang Leaves Meta for Thinking Machines Lab

Meta's Top AI Talent Flee to Thinking Machines Lab

TL;DR

Weiyao Wang, a top Meta AI expert, has left the company for Thinking Machines Lab (TML), which just signed a multibillion-dollar cloud deal with Google. This is a major blow to Meta's AI efforts.

Weiyao Wang, a key figure in Meta's AI research, has left the company after eight years. His departure comes as Thinking Machines Lab (TML) announced a massive cloud deal with Google, giving them access to Nvidia's GB300 chips. TML is one of the first startups to run on this hardware. This move highlights the intense competition for top AI talent and the growing importance of cloud infrastructure in AI research.

Weiyao Wang Leaves Meta for Thinking Machines Lab

Key Points

1

Thinking Machines Lab (TML) has signed a multibillion-dollar cloud deal with Google, giving them access to Nvidia's GB300 chips.

2

Weiyao Wang, a top Meta AI expert, left the company after eight years to join Thinking Machines Lab.

3

TML is now one of the first startups to run on Nvidia's GB300 chips, a significant milestone in AI research.

4

Thinking Machines Lab has an earlier partnership with Nvidia and has drawn talent from beyond Meta, including Neal Wu and Jeffrey Tao.

5

Meta reportedly held talks to acquire TML around this time last year, but ultimately lost out to Google.

Why It Matters

If you're running AI workloads on AWS or GCP, this deal means Thinking Machines Lab will have access to significantly more compute power. This could lead to breakthroughs in areas like natural language processing and computer vision. However, it also raises questions about the concentration of AI talent and resources.

Thinking Machines LabMetaGoogle CloudNvidia GB300

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does this matter?

If you're running AI workloads on AWS or GCP, this deal means Thinking Machines Lab will have access to significantly more compute power. This could lead to breakthroughs in areas like natural language processing and computer vision. However, it also raises questions about the concentration of AI talent and resources.

What happened?

Weiyao Wang, a top Meta AI expert, has left the company for Thinking Machines Lab (TML), which just signed a multibillion-dollar cloud deal with Google. This is a major blow to Meta's AI efforts.

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