Meta’s Chief AI Scientist Yann LeCun Plans to Exit
Longtime Meta Chief AI Scientist and Turing Award winner Yann LeCun is reportedly planning to leave the company, with fundraising talks and plans already underway to launch his own startup based around developing world models.
The details:
- According to FT, LeCun has told colleagues he plans to leave Meta in the coming months, ending his run leading the company’s FAIR arm since 2013
- LeCun’s upcoming venture will reportedly focus on world models that learn from video and spatial data rather than text-based systems
- LeCun began reporting to Alexandr Wang as part of Meta’s massive AI restructure, with friction this summer between FAIR and the new direction
- Meta recently cut around 600 positions from its AI divisions, which included FAIR but not the recently formed TBD Lab overseen by Wang
Why it matters: Tension between Meta’s old guard and new hires throughout the reorg makes this departure unsurprising. LeCun’s AI critiques constantly clash with Meta’s new direction. His world models venture will test whether his vision or Meta’s restructured approach proves right.
ElevenLabs’ Celebrity AI Voice Licensing Platform
ElevenLabs just debuted its Iconic Voice Marketplace, connecting brands with AI-replicated celebrity voices through rights-holder agreements, featuring 28 licensed options spanning actors, historical figures, athletes, and more.
The details:
- The platform brokers licensing deals between companies and estates or living celebrities, with ElevenLabs synthesizing the approved voice content
- Living celebrities available on the platform include actor Michael Caine, joining actress Liza Minnelli and musicians Art Garfunkel and Michael Feinstein
- Deceased figures like Maya Angelou, Babe Ruth, Alan Turing, and Mark Twain were recreated from archived recordings via estate partnerships
- The company also announced that actor Matthew McConaughey (an investor in ElevenLabs) is using the tech to voice his newsletter for Spanish readers
Why it matters: This is essentially ‘Cameo’ for AI voices. While most voices are historical, it’s a first step into licensed AI IP. With AI video apps muddying waters on rights, ElevenLabs offers an ethical option for brands and celebrities to monetize voice clones legitimately.
SoftBank Cuts Nvidia Shares to Go ‘All-In’ on OpenAI
SoftBank Group sold its complete $5.8B Nvidia position to finance a wave of AI infrastructure investments with OpenAI, with CEO Masayoshi Son declaring the company “all in” on the AI leader despite growing questions about AI capital returns.
The details:
- The Nvidia sale marks SoftBank’s second complete exit from the chipmaker, after selling a $4B stake in 2019 for shares now valued above $150B
- Son revealed that pre-2019, CEO Sam Altman asked him to invest $10B, but Microsoft ultimately won the deal and became the exclusive computing partner
- The CEO believes “OpenAI will be listed eventually… and will become the most valuable company in the world,” driving SoftBank’s $33.2B planned investment
- Son’s concentrated approach has produced both big wins (like Alibaba’s $20M investment to $150B) and catastrophic losses, including $11.5B on WeWork
Why it matters: Masayoshi Son is making a massive generational bet on OpenAI while exiting Nvidia—despite OpenAI buying Nvidia chips with that investment capital. Classic Son swing-for-the-fences strategy that’s produced both legendary wins and spectacular failures.
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Jigar Chaudhary is the Editor-in-Chief at UrviumAI, where he oversees coverage of artificial intelligence news, tools, and in-depth studies. With over 5 years of experience analyzing AI and robotics, he focuses on maintaining high editorial standards, accurate reporting, and clear explanations to help readers understand how AI is shaping the future.
