Meta's former chief scientist Yann LeCun says he hated being a manager: 'I'm much more visionary'

Yann LeCun, former chief scientist of AI at Meta, has made it clear that traditional management is not his forte. In a recent interview with MIT Technology Review, he expressed a distinct aversion to leadership roles, stating, "I can do management, but I don't like doing it." During his tenure at Meta's Fundamental AI Research (FAIR), which he founded, LeCun admitted, "I kind of hated being a director. I am not good at this career management thing. I'm much more visionary and a scientist." LeCun emphasized that his true passion lies in accelerating technological advancement rather than leading teams. Following his departure from Meta after twelve years, he is now setting his sights on establishing his own AI startup, AMI Labs. This Paris-based venture aims to develop world models—an innovative form of AI designed to mimic the complexities of the real world. LeCun intends for AMI Labs to focus on open-source projects and position itself as one of the few leading AI research labs that are not rooted in either China or the United States. In his new role as executive chairman, LeCun will work alongside Alex LeBrun, a former colleague from Meta AI, who will serve as CEO. Despite stepping away from Meta, LeCun plans to continue his teaching role at New York University. During the MIT interview, LeCun voiced his disagreements with some decisions made by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, particularly regarding the dissolution of the robotics team within FAIR. He also criticized another executive, Alexandr Wang, who was briefly his superior after a restructuring of AI at Meta. LeCun noted, "There's no experience with research or how you practice research, how you do it. Or what would be attractive or repulsive to a researcher." He further clarified his stance on leadership, explaining, "You don't tell a researcher what to do. You certainly don't tell a researcher like me what to do." At 65, LeCun recognizes his strengths as a visionary rather than a conventional CEO, stating, "I'm both too disorganized for this, and also too old."