After OpenAI Move, Meta Snags Apple AI Head for New Superintelligence Unit

Apple's head of AI models, Ruoming Pang is set to quit the company to join Meta's new AI superintelligence division, Bloomberg reported on Monday.

This is the latest high-level AI executive hired by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Pang joined Apple in 2021 from Alphabet Inc. and led the team responsible for Apple's foundation models, which power "Apple Intelligence" and other AI capabilities.

As per Bloomberg, Pang's exit could be only the beginning for Apple's beleaguered AI team. This move is a significant setback for Apple, as its internal AI team, known as "AFM - Apple Foundation Models," has reportedly been facing pressure.

Nonetheless, Pang could bring expertise in creating small, on-device AI models to Meta, joining a roster of experts Zuckerberg has acquired in recent months, including leaders from Google DeepMind, OpenAI, and Safe Superintelligence.

Meta recently reorganized its AI teams under this division and appointed Alexandr Wang, former CEO of Scale AI, as Chief AI Officer, according to Reuters.

Meta is investing heavily in AI, committing billions of dollars, including a $29 billion investment last month in Scale AI. Bloomberg reported that Zuckerberg is personally recruiting AI expertise, often hosting prospects at his homes in Silicon Valley and Lake Tahoe.

According to Bloomberg, Meta has also hired Daniel Gross (co-founder of Safe Superintelligence), Nat Friedman (former CEO of GitHub), Yuanzhi Li (from OpenAI), and Anton Bakhtin (who worked on Claude at Anthropic).

Meta’s Poaching Spree

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently claimed that Meta offered signing bonuses of up to $100 million to entice key personnel from OpenAI, a move he described as "crazy" and indicative of escalating competitiveness within the AI industry.

Meta "poached" three OpenAI researchers Lucas Beyer, Alexander Kolesnikov, and Xiaohua Zhai who were responsible for opening OpenAI's office in Zurich, Switzerland, last year.

Meta also paid $14.3 billion recently for a 49% share in Scale AI, an AI startup that helps firms build their own AI models. Alexandr Wang, CEO of Scale AI, has stepped down to manage Meta's new "superintelligence" section.

The social media giant is now focusing on recruiting Daniel Gross, co-founder and CEO of SSI, and Nat Friedman, former CEO of GitHub, to strengthen its new superintelligence lab, which is overseen by Alexandr Wang.