Apple’s AI chief Ruoming Pang jumps ship to join Meta’s Superintelligence team

Apple’s top executive overseeing its AI foundation models, Ruoming Pang, is leaving the company to join rival Meta Platforms, according to a report from Bloomberg News citing sources familiar with the matter.

Pang, who managed Apple’s foundation models team, is reportedly making the move in exchange for a lucrative compensation package said to be worth millions of dollars annually. He will become part of Meta’s newly formed Superintelligence Labs division, a strategic unit focused on the next generation of AI development.

Neither Apple nor Meta have officially confirmed this update.

The move comes amid intensifying competition among tech giants to dominate the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence. In recent months, firms like Meta, OpenAI, and Google have aggressively recruited top-tier talent with eye-watering offers and ambitious AI roadmaps.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently restructured the company’s AI efforts under the new Meta Superintelligence Labs division. The unit will be headed by Alexandr Wang, the 28-year-old former CEO of data-labelling startup Scale AI. Wang, who now serves as Meta’s chief AI officer, joined the company following Meta’s investment in Scale AI last month, which valued the startup at $29 billion.

Pang’s departure marks a notable setback for Apple, which has only recently begun to open up about its AI ambitions. The company is expected to further integrate generative AI features into future versions of iOS and its devices, but it now faces the challenge of reconfiguring its AI leadership at a critical juncture.