Widespread reactions have continued to trail reports that Meta laid off thousands of employees while simultaneously making a major investment in artificial intelligence talent.…....
According to reports circulating online, the company cut about 8,000 jobs and unveiled its new AI Muse model on the same day, sparking debates about the growing impact of artificial intelligence on human jobs.
Many social media users described the development as another example of AI replacing humans. However, others argued that the situation reflects a shift in the type of skills tech companies now require, rather than a total replacement of workers.
The conversation intensified after reports emerged that Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg hired Andrew Tulloch, a co-founder of Thinking Machines Lab, in a deal reportedly valued at $1.5 billion.
Reports also claimed that Andrew’s startup had already reached a valuation of about $12 billion despite not yet releasing a product publicly.
Analysts and commentators noted that companies like Meta are increasingly prioritising AI-focused expertise, leading to rising demand for AI engineers and AI product managers over traditional tech roles.
Meanwhile, reports further stated that affected employees would receive 16 weeks of severance packages following the layoffs.
35-year-old Andrew Tulloch is an artificial intelligence and machine learning engineer widely recognised as a co-founder of Thinking Machines Lab.
Over the years, he has held research roles at several leading technology companies, including OpenAI and Meta.
In October 2025, Andrew returned to Meta after departing Thinking Machines Lab.
Andrew Tulloch completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Sydney between 2007 and 2011, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Advanced Mathematics with a specialization in Mathematics and Statistics.
He graduated with First Class Honours and received the prestigious University Medal, awarded to the top honours student in the Faculty of Science. Tulloch also earned the Science Achievement Prize for recording the highest GPA in the faculty.
Following his undergraduate education, he attended the University of Cambridge from 2013 to 2014, where he obtained a Master of Mathematical Statistics with a focus on Statistics and Machine Learning.
While at Trinity College Cambridge, he completed Part III of the Mathematical Tripos and graduated with Distinction, the highest academic classification available.
In recognition of his exceptional performance, Tulloch was also awarded a Trinity College prize for achieving the highest grade in his examinations.
Between November 2010 and February 2012, Andrew Tulloch worked as a Strategist at Goldman Sachs in Sydney, Australia.
During his time at the firm, he focused on developing and structuring financial products and derivatives across multiple asset classes, including foreign exchange, commodities, and credit markets.
He also applied statistical and econometric methods to identify market opportunities and create statistical arbitrage trading strategies involving cash equities, equity derivatives, and credit derivatives.
Andrew Tulloch has built his career around the development and deployment of large-scale artificial intelligence and machine learning systems.
One of his early roles was as a researcher at Facebook AI Research, now part of Meta, where he contributed to the development of machine learning systems for the company.
