Ruoming Pang, the executive behind Apple in-house AI models, has exited the company to join Meta Superintelligence Labs, dealing a huge blow to Apple’s already sluggish AI goals.
Pang led Apple’s Foundation Models team, responsible for training the AI systems powering recent on-device tools like Genmoji and smart notifications.
His departure, confirmed by insiders, follows growing internal challenges at Apple over its reliance on external models from OpenAI and Anthropic to deliver critical Siri upgrades.
For a company that prides itself on tight vertical control, outsourcing key AI infrastructure to rivals has raised eyebrows internally and beyond.
Meta, meanwhile, is making no secret of its aggressive expansion plans. Pang now joins its elite AI division, Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL), which has become a magnet for top talent.
It’s headed by Alexandr Wang, the former CEO of Scale AI, a company Meta recently invested in at a $29 billion valuation. Bloomberg reports that Pang’s compensation at Meta runs into the millions annually.
Pang’s exit comes weeks after his deputy, Tom Gunter, also left Apple, and is part of a pattern of senior AI defections. Mark Zuckerberg has been personally overseeing this high-stakes recruitment wave, pulling in names like Daniel Gross of Safe Superintelligence and former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman. Researchers from OpenAI, Anthropic, and DeepMind have also reportedly crossed over to Meta.
“Apple’s recent AI enhancements have been minimal, and the more sought-after features, like the Siri revamp, are being pushed out to 2026,” said Dipanjan Chatterjee, Forrester VP and principal analyst. “Apple’s strong brand equity has absorbed much of this damage without customer defection, but this equity is being steadily eroded as Apple fails to make good on its AI promises.”
While Apple made a strong hardware showing at WWDC 2025, its AI reveal leaned heavily on partnerships, rather than showcasing any breakthrough from its internal teams. That silence from within is now being read as a red flag.
Zhifeng Chen has now taken over Pang’s team, but oversight is fragmented across software boss Craig Federighi, Siri and Vision Pro head Mike Rockwell, and a diminished role for John Giannandrea.
Analysts say this reshuffling is unlikely to change Apple’s pace, particularly in a market where rivals are throwing around $10 million to $100 million offers just to attract top talent.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, in a recent podcast interview with his brother, said, “Meta had been targeting his employees with signing bonuses that went as high as $100 million.”
