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Meta Weighs Cuts to Its Metaverse Unit

Meta plans to direct its investments to focus on wearables like its augmented reality glasses but does not plan to abandon building the metaverse.

© Jim Wilson/The New York Times

Meta’s virtual reality headset last year. The company’s augmented reality glasses have become a surprise hit.
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Yann LeCun, a Pioneering A.I. Scientist, Leaves Meta

Dr. LeCun’s departure follows a shake-up in Meta’s artificial intelligence efforts, as Mark Zuckerberg pushes his company to keep up in the tech race.

© Victor Llorente for The New York Times

Despite Meta’s efforts to reach A.I. “superintelligence,” Yann LeCun has said that large language models will never be smart enough to be considered superintelligent.
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Meta’s Victory Opens the Way for Silicon Valley to Go Deal Shopping

To avoid regulatory scrutiny, big tech companies had steered clear of buying start-ups outright. Meta’s antitrust win may change that thinking.

© Jason Henry for The New York Times

Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s chief executive, in September. On Tuesday, a federal judge found Meta had not violated antitrust law by buying Instagram and WhatsApp when they were tiny start-ups.
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Meta Did Not Violate the Law When It Bought Instagram and WhatsApp, a Judge Rules

Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp did not illegally stifle competition in social networking, a judge found, a major win for the tech giant.

© Jason Henry for The New York Times

Meta has defended itself by saying that it faces plenty of competition from rivals, including TikTok and YouTube, and that it benefited the nascent apps with bountiful resources.
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Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan Restructure Their Philanthropy

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative said its restructured organization, Biohub, would lead its focus on artificial intelligence and scientific research.

© Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

Mark Zuckerberg, right, and his wife, Priscilla Chan, co-founders and co-chief executives of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, during an event at the Biohub Imaging Institute in Redwood City, Calif., on Wednesday.
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Meta Raises Its Spending Forecast on A.I. to Above $70 Billion

The Silicon Valley company projected more spending this year and said it would continue in 2026 as it hires A.I. researchers and builds data centers to power the technology.

© Jason Henry for The New York Times

Meta’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, at an event in September showcasing new products. Meta’s core business of online advertising has provided the fuel for its spending on artificial intelligence.
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Meta Cuts 600 Jobs at A.I. Superintelligence Labs

The layoffs do not affect Meta’s newest A.I. hires, who are in some cases being paid up to hundreds of millions of dollars. The cuts were focused on correcting an earlier hiring spree.

© Jason Henry for The New York Times

Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s chief executive, at the company campus in Menlo Park, Calif., last month. Meta has hired aggressively to build A.I. in recent years.
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