Apple loses AI chief to Meta |
Ruoming Pang, a distinguished engineer leading Apple's foundation models team, is leaving for Meta Platforms, marking a significant setback for Apple's AI initiatives. Pang's departure follows a series of high-profile hires by Meta, including offers worth tens of millions of dollars to attract top talent. Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg has prioritised AI, restructuring teams and investing heavily in infrastructure. At Apple, Pang's team, responsible for large language models, has faced scrutiny and morale issues amid discussions of using third-party models for Siri. The shift in leadership, with Zhifeng Chen now at the helm, reflects ongoing challenges within Apple's AI strategy, which is primarily overseen by Craig Federighi and Mike Rockwell. As competition for AI talent intensifies, Pang's exit could signal further departures from Apple's foundation models team. |
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