Meta Hires Multiple Key Apple AI Researchers Amid Internal Apple Turmoil

Meta has aggressively expanded its artificial intelligence team by recruiting top AI talent from Apple, including Ruoming Pang, the former head of Apple's Foundation Models team, along with two of his key subordinates, Mark Lee and Tom Gunter. These hires, joining Meta's Superintelligence Labs, are part of CEO Mark Zuckerberg's commitment to making AI the company's top priority, supported by substantial investments in talent and data centers. Meta reportedly offered Pang a multiyear compensation package exceeding $200 million, highlighting its willingness to spend heavily to compete with rivals like OpenAI and Google. Apple's Foundation Models team is experiencing turmoil, with executives considering shifting to external AI models from companies like OpenAI or Anthropic for services such as Siri due to challenges with their own models. Meta's strategy reflects a broader industry scramble for AI expertise, including attempts to recruit talent from other leaders like OpenAI. These developments underscore Meta's focus on accelerating AI innovation by leveraging expertise from competitors.