Meta's 'Avocado' Flagship Reportedly Underperforms; Plans to Open-Source Next Models Under New AI Chief Alexandr Wang

Meta is preparing to release open-source versions of its next AI models under new AI chief Alexandr Wang, following reports that its internal flagship model codenamed 'Avocado' failed to meet expectations on coding, reasoning, and writing benchmarks compared to Google and other rivals, causing delays from its original March 2026 release target. The Llama 4 series (Scout and Maverick, released April 2025) remains available with MoE architecture and multimodal support, with the flagship Behemoth model still in training. Meta's aggressive open-source strategy faces scrutiny over limited user adoption despite widespread model availability, and Gizmodo noted the strategy may not be effectively translating to competitive market share.