Talent exodus: Apple's lead robotics AI researcher has joined Meta
What's the story
Apple's lead artificial intelligence (AI) researcher for robotics, Jian Zhang, has left the company to join Meta. The move is part of a larger trend of talent departures from Apple. Separately, three other AI researchers, John Peebles, Nan Du, and Zhao Meng, are also leaving Apple's in-house large language models team. The group was instrumental in developing the Apple Intelligence platform last year as part of Apple's efforts to catch up with competitors in the AI space.
Team turmoil
Nearly 10 members have left the team recently
The Apple Foundation Models team, which was crucial to the development of the Apple Intelligence platform, has lost nearly 10 members in recent weeks. This includes its head. The latest exits from this group are Peebles, Du, and Meng. Peebles and Du are headed to OpenAI while Meng will join Anthropic PBC.
Strategic shift
Apple may start relying on external technology
Amid the talent exodus, Apple is said to be considering a strategic shift toward relying more on external technology rather than just in-house models. This comes after several employees have left for other companies, including Meta, which has been luring talent with lucrative pay packages. Ruoming Pang, who led Apple's models team, recently left for a multi-year contract worth $200 million at Meta.
Ongoing exodus
Poor reception of Apple Intelligence and other issues
The wave of departures from Apple's AI team is expected to continue. Several employees are said to be actively interviewing for jobs at other companies. The poor reception of Apple Intelligence and the company's possible shift toward third-party models have contributed to a decline in morale among its employees, according to Bloomberg.