Meta Hires From Apple Again: Pulls Out More AI Workers As Talent Hunt Continues

Apple is facing a growing challenge in its artificial intelligence (AI) efforts, as top talent continues to defect to Meta. The departure of AI researcher Yun Zhu—now joining Meta’s Superintelligence Labs—is the fifth notable exit from Apple’s models team. 

As the competition is fierce, Apple is in urgent need of retaining its AI workforce so that they are not lacking. Its rivals like Meta, Google, and OpenAI are now aggressively hiring, and Apple’s AI initiative of delivering AI to consumers is under real threat. It could harm Apple’s business, as they lose the leadership and expertise that prove costly under this fast-evolving AI landscape.

AI Talent Exodus: Who’s Leaving and Where They’re Going

Key Departures from Apple to Meta

• Yun Zhu – The Most recent AI researcher to resign from Apple’s models team, now joining the foundation models group within Meta’s Superintelligence Labs.
• Ruoming Pang – Former head of Apple’s foundation models team, lured to Meta with a compensation package reportedly worth tens of millions per year.
• Engineers Mark Lee, Tom Gunter, and Bowen Zhang – All transitioned from Apple to Meta’s AI initiatives.
• Floris Weers – Left Apple’s AI models team for a startup (not Meta).

Scale of the Shift

This marks the fifth high-profile exit from Apple’s AI division to Meta —reflecting a broader trend of aggressive AI talent acquisition.

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Impacts and Industry Response

Apple’s AI Strategy at Risk

• Apple is under criticism for lagging behind in the AI race, especially as rivals ramp up development
• To compensate, Apple is reportedly exploring integrations with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude, while simultaneously working on its own AI models .

Intensifying Talent War

• Meta continues its aggressive talent drive, offering sky-high compensation—including packages in the tens of millions per year, or even over $200 million for top AI figures like Pang.
• Apple has responded by boosting pay for employees in its Apple Foundation Models (AFM) group to stem further departures.

Consequences for Apple

• With morale low and lucrative offers from Meta looming, insiders predict more departures may follow.
• Momentum losses and leadership gaps could delay Apple’s AI product roadmap, including enhancements to Siri and its foundational models.

Summary Table: Key AI Talent Movements

Conclusion

Apple’s ongoing withdrawal of AI experts including Yun Zhu, the most recent one, marks a talent retention problem comparing to Meta and other competitors’ aggressive hiring. Apple is now boosting compensation and exploring a third-party model integration to strengthen its AI in future. However, the challenge of preserving its in-house expertise remains critical. Apple should now take actions to stay competitive in this AI evolving era.