CNBC AI News, July 8th – In a significant move within the competitive AI landscape, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is aggressively recruiting top-tier artificial intelligence talent from rivals, securing a key engineering leader from Apple. This strategic talent acquisition underscores Meta’s commitment to bolstering its AI capabilities amidst an industry-wide arms race for innovation.
Sources indicate that Ruoming Pang, who previously headed Apple’s foundational models team, has made the switch to Meta. At Apple, Pang managed a team of approximately 100 employees focused on the development of large language models, technologies that are increasingly integral to the user experience on devices like the iPhone. These models have already powered features such as email summarization and the generation of personalized emojis, known as Genmoji.
The lure for Pang appears to be substantial compensation, with reports suggesting an annual package in the tens of millions of dollars. This high-profile hire follows Meta’s previous recruitment of AI experts from prominent companies including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Scale AI, signaling a broad strategy to consolidate top AI minds under the Meta umbrella.
Sources close to Apple suggest that Pang’s departure has had a ripple effect on the morale of the foundational models team, with other engineers reportedly considering offers from competing firms. This exodus of talent comes at a critical juncture for Apple, as the company works to close the gap with AI leaders like Google.
The tech giant has faced recent setbacks, including a delay in launching its personalized Siri feature, which was initially promised at its 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference. In response, Apple has undertaken a restructuring of its AI initiatives, with current efforts overseen by software head Craig Federighi and Mike Rockwell, who was instrumental in the development of the Vision Pro.
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