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Rishabh Agarwal, IIT Bombay alumnus and AI researcher, left Meta’s Superintelligence team and an Rs 8 crore salary after five months, sparking debate on social media
Rishabh Agarwal an IIT Bombay almunus, left the Superintelligence team at Meta AI in just five months (News18 Hindi)
The journey of Rishabh Agarwal, once a JEE topper and now a name that has stunned the global tech community, is making headlines. An IIT Bombay graduate and a distinguished AI researcher, Rishabh recently announced his decision to walk away from an Rs 8 crore annual salary at Meta’s Superintelligence team after just five months, a move that has left many shocked.
Rishabh, who secured an All India Rank 33 in JEE, completed his B.Tech in Computer Science Engineering from IIT Bombay before pursuing a doctorate at the Mila-Quebec AI Institute. Over the years, he worked with some of the world’s leading research groups, including Google Brain as a Senior Research Scientist, DeepMind as a Staff Research Scientist, and finally Meta AI’s Superintelligence team as a Research Scientist.
He began his professional journey with internships at Tower Research Capital, Saavn, and Waymo before entering full-time research roles in AI. By April 2025, Meta brought him onboard with a lucrative $1 million package (approximately Rs 8 crore), placing him in its top-priority Superintelligence project, a cornerstone of Mark Zuckerberg’s vision for the company.
But despite the prestige and pay, Rishabh stunned peers when he took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to announce his exit. “This is my last week at @AIatMeta. It was a tough decision not to continue with the new Superintelligence TBD lab, especially given the talent and compute density. But after 7.5 years across Google Brain, DeepMind, and Meta, I felt the pull to take on a different kind of risk,” Agarwal posted on August 25.
This is my last week at @AIatMeta. It was a tough decision not to continue with the new Superintelligence TBD lab, especially given the talent and compute density. But after 7.5 years across Google Brain, DeepMind, and Meta, I felt the pull to take on a different kind of risk.…— Rishabh Agarwal (@agarwl_) August 25, 2025
In his note, Rishabh acknowledged Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Chief AI Officer Alexander Wang for creating an inspiring opportunity, calling their superintelligence initiative “compelling”. Yet he revealed he was following Zuckerberg’s own oft-quoted advice, that in a rapidly changing world, the biggest risk is not taking any risk.
“The pitch from Mark and @alexandr_wang to build in the Superintelligence team was incredibly compelling. But I ultimately choose to follow Mark’s own advice: ‘In a world that’s changing so fast, the biggest risk you can take is not taking any risk’,” he further wrote.
Meta’s Superintelligence project is considered one of the most ambitious undertakings in AI research, with the company aggressively hiring global talent at multi-million dollar packages. Rishabh’s short but significant stint with the team only added to his reputation in the AI community.
For now, the 30-year-old has not disclosed his next step, leaving followers guessing about the new path he intends to carve. His bold decision has sparked intense debate online, with many hailing it as proof that passion can outweigh money and prestige.
From excelling in JEE to turning down one of the world’s most lucrative tech jobs, Rishabh Agarwal’s journey stands as a reminder that true courage often lies in choosing uncertainty over comfort.
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