Meta poaches four crucial AI specialists from Apple's Siri division, according to a recent report
Just weeks before the anticipated launch of the iPhone 17 series, a wave of departures from Apple's AI team has been making headlines. At least four engineers have left Apple's Foundation Models team in the last month, with many choosing to join Meta.
The departures are causing a stir within Apple's AI division, as the team responsible for developing large language models is losing top talent. The exodus began with Ruoming Pang, Apple's former AI executive and group leader of the Foundation Models team, who joined Meta's Superintelligence Labs with a reported compensation package exceeding $200 million. Other senior engineers followed suit, citing more attractive AI project opportunities and significantly higher compensation packages, including signing bonuses and stock awards, that Apple is not matching.
Meta's aggressive hiring and lucrative offers have created a "crisis of confidence" within Apple's AI division, leading to around a dozen AI researchers leaving recently. This talent drain impacts Apple's AI efforts by shaking internal morale and confidence in leadership, threatening the sustainability and advancement of Apple’s AI development.
Notably, the near loss of the MLX team—which is crucial for Apple's vision of running advanced AI efficiently on Apple Silicon chips—highlights the eroded trust and the risk of falling behind in the competitive AI race. The departures weaken Apple's ability to innovate rapidly in foundational AI technologies, potentially causing it to lag behind competitors like Meta and OpenAI, who are gaining top-tier AI talent.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has attempted to reassure staff through a company-wide meeting, underscoring the seriousness of the crisis. In response, Apple is reportedly looking into partnerships with OpenAI and Anthropic to supplement its in-house AI efforts.
Meanwhile, Meta has been actively poaching talent from top tech companies and startups to expand its Superintelligence team. Meta's AI models, such as LLaMA, are raising concerns about the capabilities of Apple's models compared to competitors like OpenAI's GPT-4.
As the AI race heats up, the iPhone 17 series is set to debut soon, but the impact of these departures on Apple's AI capabilities remains to be seen.
References
- The Information
- Bloomberg
- TechCrunch
- The Verge
- Reuters
The turmoil within Apple's AI division intensifies as the departures of top AI engineers, including Ruoming Pang, are causing a brain drain, potentially hindering Apple's advancements in large language models and artificial intelligence (AI). The influx of lucrative offers from Meta, with its Superintelligence Labs, poses a significant challenge, as Apple struggles to compete in the realm of AI technology.
