Apple's AI Search Chief Ke Yang Set To Exit Company To Join Meta Escalating Talent War

In a significant blow to Apple's ambitious AI revival, Ke Yang, the newly appointed head of the company's ChatGPT-like AI search efforts, is departing to join Meta. The move intensifies the fierce competition for top AI talent between the two tech giants, with Meta continuing to poach key executives from Cupertino.

Yang, a key figure in Apple's artificial intelligence and machine learning (AIML) group, was tapped just months ago to lead the Answers, Knowledge, and Information (AKI) team. This division is at the forefront of developing advanced web search capabilities for Siri, aiming to transform the voice assistant into a more intelligent, generative AI tool capable of pulling real-time information from the web—much like ChatGPT or Perplexity. Reporting directly to Apple's senior vice president of AI and machine learning, John Giannandrea, Yang oversaw the search-focused elements of AKI before assuming full leadership after the exit of the team's prior head, Robby Walker. Yang has been with Apple since 2019.

Meta aggressively hiring for Superintelligence Labs team

Bloomberg reports that Yang will contribute to the newly formed Superintelligence Labs at Meta, a high-profile initiative to advance the company's AI ambitions. His departure comes amid a broader exodus from Apple's AI ranks, including roughly a dozen members of the Apple Foundation Models team who have jumped ship this year. Notable recent poaches by Meta include Ruoming Pang, founder and lead scientist of that team, who was lured with a staggering compensation package exceeding $200 million; Chong Wang last week; and Frank Chu in August.

While specific details on Yang's compensation package have not been disclosed, the Pang deal underscores Meta's willingness to pay premium sums—potentially in the hundreds of millions—to secure elite AI expertise. This aggressive financial strategy highlights the escalating stakes in the AI talent war, where Meta is rapidly assembling a powerhouse team at the expense of Apple's efforts to catch up in generative AI and search technologies.

The timing is particularly poignant for Apple, as the AKI team plays a pivotal role in a major Siri overhaul slated for March 2026. Delayed features, such as Siri's ability to access personal data for complex queries, are part of this push to compete with rivals like OpenAI, Perplexity, and Google's Gemini. Following Yang's exit, the AKI group will reportedly shift under Benoit Dupin, a Giannandrea deputy focused on machine learning cloud infrastructure, in a bid to stabilise operations.

The report claims that several remaining team members anticipate further exits in the coming months. For Meta, the influx of Apple defectors bolsters its position in the race toward superintelligent AI systems.

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