Déjà View: Why Meta’s Latest AI ‘Superintelligence’ Makeover Reminds Me of the Metaverse Hype

Four years ago, I laughed with my friends in a group chat about how we’d all be future avatar poker pros in Meta’s metaverse. Fast forward: my VR goggles collect dust, and now Mark Zuckerberg’s latest memo has everyone buzzing about ‘personal AI superintelligence for everyone.’ So much for virtual concerts on Mars – I’m still waiting. As someone who’s fallen for a Meta promise or two, I can’t help but wonder: are we living through the same blockbuster hype with new special effects?

Hype Reboots: From Metaverse Dreams to AI Superintelligence

Looking at Meta’s latest pivot, I can’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu. The launch of Meta Superintelligence Labs—with its bold promise of “personal AI superintelligence for everyone”—feels like a direct echo of the metaverse hype that swept through the company just a few years ago. Back in 2021, Mark Zuckerberg was on stage talking up the metaverse as the next evolution of the internet, complete with VR avatars, virtual concerts, and billion-dollar bets. Now, in 2025, the script has changed, but the energy is almost identical—just swap out VR goggles for AI models.

Zuckerberg’s latest memo to employees is packed with the same sweeping ambition. He’s not just promising a new product; he’s pitching a new era for humanity. That’s a direct quote:

Zuckerberg: “A new era for humanity.”

Of course, the scale of Meta’s ambition is matched only by its willingness to spend. Reports suggest Meta is offering up to $300 million over four years to lure AI engineers from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic. Meta denies those exact numbers, but the AI talent recruitment war is real—and fierce. This is classic Meta: massive hype, massive hiring, and a relentless hunt for “frontier” technology. The company’s investment in AI technology is the latest in a series of high-risk, high-reward bets.

The pattern is hard to ignore. In 2021, Meta poured over $60 billion into the metaverse, only to see platforms like Horizon Worlds left mostly empty. Now, with Meta Superintelligence Labs, the cycle repeats: visionary promises, splashy recruiting, and the hope that this time, the revolution will stick. Whether AI superintelligence delivers where the metaverse didn’t, well… that’s still an open question.

Wild Hires, Real Doubts: Inside Meta’s AI Unit Reshuffle

If you’ve been following Meta’s latest moves, you know the company’s AI talent acquisition strategy is in overdrive. Some days, it honestly feels like the NBA draft for AI engineers. Meta’s new Superintelligence Labs is scooping up star talent from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic—sometimes with rumored signing bonuses so big, they sound almost mythical. (I actually ran into an ex-Googler at a co-working space last week who’d just signed on with Meta. She wouldn’t say how much her bonus was, but the grin said it all.)

This Meta AI unit restructuring is more than just a hiring spree. It’s a full-court press on artificial general intelligence (AGI). Meta has consolidated all its AI research teams—from product development to foundational research—under the new Meta AI superintelligence unit. The goal? Accelerate progress on AGI and multimodal AI that can handle images, speech, and video. Research shows this kind of centralization is meant to break down silos and speed up innovation, a lesson Meta seems to have learned from the metaverse era’s scattered efforts.

The culture shift inside Meta is almost palpable. During the metaverse days, stories of internal grumbling and skepticism were everywhere. Now, there’s an almost cult-like faith in AI’s potential. The difference? This time, the engineers are actually using the tools they’re building. It’s a big change from the metaverse push, where even Meta’s own staff seemed reluctant to spend time in Horizon Worlds.

At the center of all this is Alexandr Wang, Meta’s new Chief AI Officer. He’s not just another big tech exec—he’s got startup grit from Scale AI, and Meta’s $14 billion investment in Scale AI shows just how serious they are. As Wang put it,

‘This is the biggest challenge of my career—and I wouldn’t want to tackle it anywhere else.’

With all Meta AI research teams now united under Superintelligence Labs, the company is betting big that this new structure—and the people leading it—can finally deliver on the promise of AI superintelligence.

Is Anyone Else Getting Déjà Vu?

Every time I hear Mark Zuckerberg talk about the future of technology, I get this weird sense of déjà vu. His latest pitch for the Meta AI superintelligence unit—complete with promises of “personal AI superintelligence for everyone”—reminds me so much of the metaverse hype just a few years ago. Back then, the Mark Zuckerberg AI vision was all about teleporting to virtual concerts and working from holograms in Tokyo. Now, it’s about always-on AI companions and “superhuman” productivity. Both sound incredible on paper. But if you look at what actually happened with the metaverse, it’s hard not to feel a little skeptical.

Let’s be honest: Meta’s metaverse bet was huge. Billions spent, a company name change, and endless concept videos showing off a future that never really arrived. The reality? Users got bored, creators bailed, and even Meta’s own engineers complained about clunky code and empty virtual spaces. Despite all that investment, the metaverse is still struggling to find its place. As John Carmack, a former Meta exec, put it:

“The limitless possibilities were never truly limitless.”

Now, with the Meta AI leadership doubling down on generative AI, the cycle feels familiar. Sure, the numbers sound impressive—Meta claims 1 billion people use its AI products every month. But when you dig deeper, the core technology still has big gaps. AI models hallucinate facts, stumble over basic logic, and can’t even beat simple kids’ games reliably. The leap from cool demos to actual superintelligence? Research shows it’s a much bigger jump than the hype suggests.

What’s more, Meta AI superintelligence skepticism isn’t just coming from outside critics. Even inside Meta, some engineers have quit or raised red flags about overpromising. The language around “changing human connection” with AI echoes the same optimism that surrounded the metaverse—and we all saw how that played out. Meta’s “always-on AI” demos borrow a lot from the failed metaverse pitch, right down to the idea that technology will magically transform how we relate to each other online.

So, while the Meta AI superintelligence unit is making headlines and attracting top talent, I can’t help but wonder if we’re watching history repeat itself. The promises keep getting bigger, but the real-world results? Still pretty sketchy.

Wild Card: If Meta’s AI Startups Got Their Own Reality Show…

Sometimes, I picture Meta’s AI talent acquisition saga as the world’s most expensive reality show. Imagine it: “Silicon Valley Talent Wars.” Every episode, a new twist—poaching engineers from OpenAI, billion-dollar signing bonuses, and Mark Zuckerberg himself making surprise cameos, coffee in hand, ready to outbid the competition. The drama isn’t just about code; it’s about who can assemble the flashiest team, who can make the boldest promise, and who can keep the world watching. Honestly, the Meta AI industry competition feels less like a research race and more like a high-stakes chess match, with the board broadcast for all to see.

And yet, for all the headlines about Meta’s AI recruiting push—rumors of $300 million pay packages, secret memos, and Superintelligence Labs—the reality for most of us is a little less…revolutionary. I mean, I still open Instagram for memes, not existential breakthroughs. Sometimes, I wonder if, come 2029, my VR poker group chat will just rebrand itself as “Waiting for Superintelligence.” Because, let’s be honest, some revolutions are more incremental than world-changing.

But here’s the thing: the spectacle is part of the product. The public drama over AI talent acquisition, the emotional rollercoaster of industry competition, and the endless cycle of hype—they all shape our expectations for the next big leap. Research shows that these talent wars are defining the narrative of this era, not just the technical progress itself. Meta’s real achievement might not be a breakthrough AI model (at least, not yet), but rather keeping us all talking, speculating, and waiting for that next leap.

As someone who’s watched Meta pivot from the metaverse to AI superintelligence, I can’t help but see a pattern. The promises get bigger, the stakes get higher, and the world keeps tuning in. Maybe, as that Mountain View coffee shop quip goes,

“The only thing more hyped than Meta’s next product is their next hire.”