Apple AI Chief Pang Departs for Meta Labs

Ruoming Pang, Apple's top AI executive and head of its Foundation Models team overseeing around 100 employees, is leaving to join Meta's Superintelligence Labs, marking a significant setback for Apple's AI ambitions. Pang's departure comes with a compensation package reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars annually and follows Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's aggressive recruitment of top AI talent from Apple, OpenAI, and Anthropic. Meta has also recently hired Yuanzhi Li from OpenAI and Anton Bakhtin from Anthropic. Industry insiders warn Pang's exit may prompt more departures from Apple, intensifying concerns about Apple's lagging AI strategy and growing dependence on external partners like OpenAI. Meanwhile, Meta is strengthening its position in artificial general intelligence with strategic moves, including a $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI. Apple is now working to stabilize its AI teams and future vision in the face of escalating competition.