TLDR: Ruoming Pang, the executive who led Apple’s AI foundation models team, has reportedly departed to join Meta Platforms. This move comes as Meta aggressively expands its AI capabilities under its new Superintelligence Labs division, offering substantial compensation packages, while Apple faces internal challenges and setbacks in its generative AI development.
In a significant development in the competitive artificial intelligence landscape, Ruoming Pang, a distinguished engineer and manager who spearheaded Apple’s AI foundation models team, has reportedly left the Cupertino giant to join Meta Platforms. The move, confirmed by Meta on July 8, 2025, underscores Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s aggressive push into AI and highlights the ongoing challenges faced by Apple in its generative AI endeavors.
Pang, who joined Apple from Alphabet (Google) in 2021, played a pivotal role in developing the large language models underpinning key Apple Intelligence features. His team, comprising approximately 100 employees, was responsible for functionalities such as Genmoji, Priority Notifications, and email summaries. His departure follows that of his deputy, Tom Gunter, who also left Apple last month, signaling potential internal turmoil within Apple’s AI division.
Meta has reportedly offered Pang a compensation package valued at ‘tens of millions of dollars annually,’ a testament to the fierce competition for top-tier AI talent. Pang is set to join Meta’s newly formed ‘Superintelligence’ division, known as Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL). This unit is tasked with building advanced AI systems designed to rival or surpass human intelligence, reflecting Zuckerberg’s commitment to making AI the company’s top priority. Zuckerberg has personally led recruitment efforts, even hosting candidates at his homes in Silicon Valley and Lake Tahoe.
Pang’s recruitment is part of a broader talent acquisition spree by Meta. Recent high-profile hires include Alexandr Wang, founder of Scale AI, now Meta’s Chief AI Officer; Daniel Gross; Nat Friedman; Yuanzhi Li from OpenAI; and Anton Bakhtin from Anthropic. Meta has announced plans to spend tens of billions of dollars on AI-related efforts in 2025, primarily on infrastructure like data centers and chips.
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Conversely, Pang’s exit is seen as a setback for Apple’s struggling AI efforts. Rumors suggesting Apple might rely on technology from Anthropic or OpenAI for future LLM versions of Siri, rather than its own models, have reportedly impacted the morale of its foundation models team. Apple has also experienced delays in its Apple Intelligence Siri features, initially promised at WWDC 2024, leading to a restructuring of its AI teams. Apple’s AI initiatives are now overseen by software chief Craig Federighi and Mike Rockwell, who previously led Vision Pro development. Mark Gurman of Bloomberg noted the significance of Pang’s departure, stating, ‘This is one of the most significant AI job changes since the beginning of the generative AI era started a few years ago. Ruoming is Apple’s most respected AI researcher and engineer – and his departure amid Apple’s AI turmoil could have a reverberating impact.’
