Meta develops a non-open-source AI model called 'Avocado,' signaling a major turning point in its AI strategy.

Meta appears to be entering a major 'pivot' in its AI strategy. After months of Mark Zuckerberg hinting at a move away from the open-source model, new information suggests the company is developing an entirely new AI model called 'Avocado' – and it will most likely no longer be open-source as before.

 

CNBC and Bloomberg have both confirmed that Meta is developing the 'Avocado' project, which is likely to be a closed rather than an open model. This product is planned for launch in 2026 and is being handled by a small team called 'TBD' within AI Superintelligence Labs. This team is led by Alexandr Wang, Meta's AI Director, who is known for advocating closed AI models.

It remains unclear how Avocado will impact the Llama model family. Zuckerberg previously stated that Meta would "continue to lead in open source," but also emphasized that the company would not open everything up completely. He has also repeatedly addressed security concerns related to superintelligent models.

 

The report indicates that this change stems in part from the troubles surrounding the launch of Llama 4. The Llama 4 'Behemoth' model has been delayed for months; some internal sources suggest that Meta leadership even discussed canceling the project entirely. Existing versions of Llama 4 have also failed to impress the developer community.

Meanwhile, Meta experienced significant personnel changes in its AI division as Zuckerberg poured billions of dollars into building superintelligence. Hundreds of employees in the FAIR (Fundamental Artificial Intelligence Research) team were laid off. Even Yann LeCun, a veteran of Meta and a strong advocate of open-source, recently announced his departure from the company.

If Meta truly chooses to develop a closed-source model, this would be a major turning point, especially considering that just last year Zuckerberg bluntly stated "fuck that" when talking about closed platforms, and also posted a lengthy manifesto titled "Open Source AI is the Path Forward ." But clearly, intense competitive pressure from OpenAI, Google, and other rivals is forcing Meta to change.

The company also plans to spend up to $600 billion over the next few years to pursue its AI ambitions — a figure that demonstrates the aggressive nature of this strategy.