Apple's AI team continues to "bleed": Chief Robotics Researcher poached by Meta, model team has lost ten members

Apple's talent drain in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) has further intensified.

On Tuesday, Eastern Time, media reports stated that Apple's chief AI robotics researcher Jian Zhang has jumped to Meta's robotics studio, Meta Robotics Studio. Meta confirmed on Tuesday that Zhang has joined. This is another significant personnel loss for Apple's AI team in recent times.

At the same time, it has been reported that three researchers from Apple's large language model (LLM) team—John Peebles, Nan Du, and Zhao Meng—have also left.

The media pointed out that the latest wave of departures occurred within the past week, with the aforementioned three coming from Apple's foundational model team, which is the core development team for the Apple Intelligence platform. However, in recent weeks, about 10 members have left, including the team leader. Nearly two months ago, it was reported that Meta lured away Apple's AI model team leader Ruoming Pang with a high salary of $200 million.

The media also reiterated previous reports that Apple is discussing whether to rely more on external technologies rather than solely using self-developed models.

Following the news of the AI personnel changes, Apple's stock price widened its decline on Tuesday, dropping over 2.2% at one point, and ultimately closing down about 1%.

Apple's efforts to catch up in the AI field are facing setbacks, with the Apple Intelligence product receiving poor feedback, coupled with the company's potential shift towards third-party models affecting team morale. Insiders revealed that more employees are expected to leave, with several employees interviewing at other companies.

Core Talent Continues to Depart

Jian Zhang's departure is a significant loss for Apple's robotics research. He previously led a small academic team focused on automation technology and AI applications, which was part of Apple's artificial intelligence and machine learning department. Meta confirmed on Tuesday that Zhang has joined its robotics studio, which is under the Reality Labs department.

This is not the first personnel loss for Apple's robotics team. Zhang's subordinate, Mario Srouji, left in April this year to become the AI product head at Archer Aviation. Apple's robotics research team operates independently from the product development team, which earlier this year transitioned to the hardware engineering department.

Among the three foundational model team researchers who left alongside Zhang, Peebles and Du will be heading to OpenAI, while Zhao Meng will join OpenAI's competitor, Anthropic. These departures further weaken the core team of Apple's self-developed AI capabilities. Spokespeople for Apple and OpenAI declined to comment on the personnel changes, and Anthropic has not yet responded to requests for comment

Meta's High-Salary Poaching Strategy Proves Effective

Meta has successfully attracted Apple AI talent by offering substantial salaries. Ruoming Pang, the former head of Apple's modeling team who left the company, received a multi-year compensation package worth $200 million. This strategy by Meta has led to several Apple employees switching jobs, with many members of the foundational modeling team having previously joined Meta.

Wallstreetcn mentioned that on August 22, media reports indicated that Meta poached Frank Chu, who was responsible for Apple's AI team's cloud infrastructure, training, and search operations. He is at least the sixth Apple AI employee to switch to Meta and represents one of the most significant talent losses for Apple since Ruoming Pang's departure.

However, some reports last month revealed that Meta's recruitment strategy has not been smooth sailing, as some newly hired AI researchers have already left. Nevertheless, Meta continues to invest heavily in robotics technology. In addition to smart glasses and AI functionalities, previous reports indicated that Meta is significantly investing in the operating systems and hardware components for humanoid robots.

Apple's ambitions in the robotics field are equally bold. Nearly three weeks ago, media reported that Apple plans to launch a series of robotic devices, including desktop devices equipped with mobile screens and robotic arms for retail and manufacturing. Robotics technology has become a key component of Apple's future product line.

The Wave of Departures Triggered by AI Strategy Adjustments Will Continue

The talent loss from Apple's AI team is closely related to the company's strategic adjustments. Faced with a lag in the generative AI field, Apple is considering whether to rely more on external technology suppliers rather than solely depending on in-house capabilities. This potential shift has caused unease within internal teams.

Last month, media reported that Apple has recently engaged with Google to explore the possibility of creating a custom AI model for the new version of Siri, expected to launch next year. Google has begun training a model that can run on Apple's servers. This marks a critical step for Apple in outsourcing AI technology.

Media on Tuesday cited insiders predicting that the wave of departures among Apple AI employees is expected to continue, with several employees actively interviewing for jobs at other companies. The poor market response to Apple Intelligence products and the potential shift towards using third-party models have negatively impacted team morale.

Apple remains years behind its competitors in the AI field, forcing management to consider various response strategies. The company must find a balance between maintaining innovation and quickly catching up with the market, while the ongoing loss of core talent undoubtedly increases the difficulty of this challenge