Apple Loses Key Brain Behind Genmoji And Siri Upgrades To Meta; Details Inside

In a significant talent shake-up, Apple has recently seen the departure of Ruoming Pang, a pivotal figure behind its in-house AI efforts, to rival Meta. Pang, who headed the team responsible for Apple Intelligence features such as Genmoji, on-device summarization, and Priority Notifications, is now set to join Meta’s ambitious Superintelligence Labs. The move, first reported by Bloomberg, marks a notable loss for Apple as it grapples with defining its long-term AI roadmap.

AI Brain Drain From Cupertino

Pang joined Apple in 2021 following a tenure at Google and went on to lead a team of approximately 100 engineers tasked with developing Apple’s foundational AI models. These efforts were instrumental in pushing forward enhancements to Siri and personalized user experiences. Yet, according to insiders, disagreements emerged within Apple over whether to continue investing heavily in proprietary models or rely more extensively on third-party AI, including OpenAI’s GPT-4o — a model now integrated into Apple’s latest offerings.

Pang’s departure comes amid growing instability within Apple’s AI division, known as AFM (Apple Foundational Models). His exit is the second major departure following that of senior executive Tom Gunter. Reports suggest additional exits could be on the horizon, signaling deeper unrest in Apple’s AI ranks. The unit will now report to Zhifeng Chen, supported by other team leaders like Chong Wang and Zirui Wang, in a restructured setup designed to maintain continuity.

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Meta Doubles Down On AI Talent

Over at Meta, Pang’s recruitment is part of a larger hiring spree led by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has made no secret of his intent to dominate the AI race. Sources indicate Pang’s deal runs into the multi-million-dollar range. Meta has also brought on board other major names in recent weeks, including Yuanzhi Li from OpenAI and Anton Bakhtin from Anthropic. The company has further bolstered its ranks with Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang and former GitHub chief Nat Friedman, creating what insiders describe as a “dream team” of AI innovators.

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