On 7 July 2025, Apple lost a key figure in its artificial intelligence efforts as Ruoming Pang, the executive leading its foundational AI model team, officially left the company to join Meta.

The move is part of Meta’s ongoing hiring spree in AI and reportedly involves a compensation package worth tens of millions of US dollars annually—potentially exceeding RM 420 million per year.

What happened?

Pang previously headed Apple’s team responsible for developing large language models (LLMs), which power several new features in Apple Intelligence, including on-device summarisation, Genmoji, and Priority Notifications.

His departure comes as Apple begins to expand access to its internal AI models and explores external partnerships with companies like OpenAI and Anthropic to power future iterations of Siri.

At Meta, Pang will join the newly established Superintelligence division, reporting to Alexandr Wang, former CEO of Scale AI and now Meta’s Chief AI Officer.

Meta has not publicly confirmed Pang’s compensation, but reports suggest it is part of a broader trend of high-value offers extended to top AI talent.

These offers are said to be worth tens of millions of dollars per year, with some exceeding the RM 420 million (USD 100 million) mark annually.

Sources say Pang’s team at Apple had recently faced internal uncertainty, as the company appeared to lean toward licensing third-party models rather than relying entirely on in-house AI development.

Since Pang’s exit, his former role has been taken over by Zhifeng Chen, a longtime machine learning leader at Apple. However, several team members are reportedly weighing similar offers from Meta.

While Meta continues to grow its AI talent pool with hires from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, analysts have raised concerns about the sustainability of its aggressive recruitment strategy.

The long-term return on such massive talent investments remains to be seen.

Implications for AI Development and Tech Industry

• Apple may face delays or changes in its AI product roadmap, including updates to Siri and Apple Intelligence features.
• Meta is positioning itself as a major player in AI development, challenging both Apple and Google.
• Developers may eventually see wider third-party access to advanced AI tools on both platforms.

Will Meta’s heavy investments in AI talent accelerate innovation, or could Apple’s cautious strategy prove more stable in the long run?

How might this impact future features, release dates, and AI-powered services for users in Malaysia and beyond? Stay tuned to TechNave.com for more updates.