Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg launches AI-powered hardware to rival Apple's iPhone.

Mark Zuckerberg has declared war on the iPhone by outlining his vision for integrating AI and hardware. He aims to challenge the iPhone's role as gatekeeper to the digital world, joining other Silicon Valley companies in this effort. This move comes during a week when Meta and its Big Tech rivals reported earnings.

Meta, under the leadership of Mark Zuckerberg, is aggressively pursuing a strategy to build "superintelligence" by luring top AI talent with lucrative offers. The company's recent moves include hiring Matt Deitke, a 24-year-old AI researcher, with a whopping $250 million offer [1]. Deitke, a recent dropout from the University of Washington, was initially offered around $125 million but refused. After a personal meeting with Zuckerberg, Deitke accepted a revised offer of $250 million over four years, with up to $100 million to be paid in the first year itself.

Meta's hiring spree is part of a broader trend among tech giants to share AI infrastructure costs. The company is exploring ways to work with financial partners to co-develop data centers, as seen in its recent filing to offload $2 billion in data center assets [2]. This move reflects a growing trend among tech giants to share infrastructure costs, as the cost of building and powering data centers for AI continues to rise.

Zuckerberg's vision for integrating AI and hardware aims to challenge the iPhone's role as a gatekeeper to the digital world. This move comes during a week when Meta and its Big Tech rivals reported earnings. Despite global layoffs, Big Tech companies, including Meta, are expanding their India headcount by 16% in the past year, driven by demand for AI, cloud, and cybersecurity skills [3]. This hiring surge indicates a focus on innovation and high-end work, particularly in AI and cloud technologies.

Meta's aggressive hiring and infrastructure investment strategy suggests a long-term commitment to AI and hardware integration. The company's capital expenditure is expected to increase to $72 billion in 2025 from $30 billion in 2024, reflecting a significant investment in AI and data center infrastructure [2].

References:
[1] https://www.livemint.com/technology/tech-news/meet-matt-deitke-24-year-old-ai-whiz-lured-by-mark-zuckerberg-with-whopping-250-million-offer-11754124450861.html
[2] https://www.tradingview.com/news/reuters.com,2025:newsml_L6N3TT0RL:0-meta-to-share-ai-infrastructure-costs-via-2-billion-asset-sale/
[3] https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/information-tech/big-tech-continues-to-hire-in-india-even-as-local-majors-downsize/articleshow/123070809.cms