In a high-stakes AI talent war, Meta has successfully poached top artificial intelligence researchers from Apple, marking another significant blow to the Cupertino giant’s ambitions in the field of generative AI. This includes the recruitment of Ruoming Pang, former head of Apple’s Large Language Models (LLM) team, alongside two other key experts, Mark Lee and Tom Gunter.
The move reflects Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s aggressive push to dominate the AI landscape—specifically through its ambitious Superintelligence Labs division, which has become a magnet for elite AI minds across the tech industry.
Ruoming Pang’s $200 Million+ Deal Sets the Tone
Earlier this year, Ruoming Pang, a key figure in Apple’s AI department, left the company to join Meta with a multiyear compensation package reportedly worth over $200 million. Pang was instrumental in building Apple’s proprietary large language model capabilities, which formed the backbone of Apple Intelligence and Siri’s AI enhancements.
His exit sent shockwaves through Apple’s AI division and was followed quickly by more talent shifting to Meta.
Meta’s New Recruits: Mark Lee and Tom Gunter
Following Pang’s departure, Meta has now brought on Mark Lee, who recently resigned from Apple, and is also preparing to onboard Tom Gunter in the coming weeks. Both are known experts in artificial intelligence and previously worked under Pang on Apple’s LLM initiatives.
The trio are now part of Meta’s Superintelligence Labs, a powerful internal team led by former Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang and ex-GitHub CEO Nat Friedman.
This elite division is Meta’s answer to OpenAI’s GPT-4, Google DeepMind’s Gemini, and Anthropic’s Claude. The goal? Nothing short of building true superintelligence.
Apple’s Internal AI Struggles: A Strategic Misstep?
Reports suggest that Apple is facing serious internal disruption within its foundation models team. Executives at the tech giant are increasingly leaning toward using external AI models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Anthropic’s Claude instead of in-house models for Apple Intelligence features and Siri updates.
This pivot, while practical in the short term, has sparked turmoil inside Apple’s AI team. Morale has dropped, and the company risks losing more of its core talent.
In fact, Apple’s decision to integrate OpenAI’s model into iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia is seen by many insiders as an admission of defeat in its AI race.
Meta Exploits Apple’s AI Chaos With Massive Offers
According to Bloomberg, Meta has leveraged the confusion at Apple to poach top-level talent by offering compensation packages worth several multiples more than what Apple pays its engineers. The offers, reportedly in the range of $100 million or more, are targeted at around 100 of the most influential AI engineers in Silicon Valley.
To counter the exodus, Apple has started giving significant raises to key personnel—but it seems not enough to compete with Meta’s staggering offers.
Notably:
- Tom Gunter, soon joining Meta, is among those reportedly getting multiyear packages exceeding $100 million.
- Apple insiders believe the company may lose a significant portion of its AI research base if it doesn’t quickly realign strategy.
Zuckerberg’s Vision: “Investing Billions in Superintelligence”
Mark Zuckerberg has gone all-in on AI. In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), he wrote:
“For our superintelligence effort, I’m focused on building the most elite and talent-dense team in the industry. We’re also going to invest hundreds of billions of dollars into compute to build superintelligence. We have the capital from our business to do this.”
Zuckerberg’s statement makes it clear that Meta is not just competing—it’s aiming to lead. With massive investments in compute, top-tier talent, and a laser focus on superintelligence, Meta is emerging as a dominant player in the global AI race.
The Future of Apple AI: At a Crossroads
With the foundation models team facing potential obsolescence, Apple must now make a tough decision:
- Double down on internal AI R&D despite delays and lower performance.
- Or, embrace a hybrid model by licensing third-party LLMs like ChatGPT or Claude, even if it means falling behind in proprietary AI development.
If the exodus continues, Apple may become increasingly dependent on companies like OpenAI, a strategic vulnerability in the long term.
Industry Outlook: A New AI Talent War Era
This isn’t just a story about Apple and Meta—it’s about a massive realignment in the global AI landscape. As the battle for AI supremacy intensifies, top engineers are being offered generational wealth in exchange for their expertise.
Meta’s bold moves signal a new era of talent-driven AI strategy, where access to compute and capital isn’t enough—you need the best minds too.
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