The Apple AI head Ruoming Pang is leaving the company to join Meta, according to a report by Bloomberg on Monday. This high-profile move marks another major talent shift in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence industry. Pang’s departure is the latest in a string of executive exits from Apple’s AI division and adds to Meta’s growing list of AI hires under CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Pang led Apple’s team that trained core AI foundation models. These models power Apple Intelligence and other features that run directly on Apple devices. However, the performance of Apple’s AI models has lagged behind competitors like OpenAI, Anthropic, and even Meta itself. According to the report, Apple has considered licensing external AI models to support its upcoming Siri upgrades. This move would highlight how far behind Apple has fallen in the AI arms race.
Sources speaking to Bloomberg said Pang’s exit could trigger further resignations within Apple’s AI unit. The internal team has faced technical limitations and appears to be losing momentum, especially when compared to progress made by rivals in both cloud-based and on-device AI.
By contrast, Meta is building a powerhouse. Pang brings deep experience in training small, efficient AI models suitable for mobile devices. This is a valuable skill set as Meta continues building its AI superintelligence team. Zuckerberg has already recruited top names from DeepMind, OpenAI, and Safe Superintelligence. Pang’s addition further strengthens Meta’s ambition to lead in both general and consumer-focused AI innovation.
Apple has not publicly commented on Pang’s departure. Meta has also remained quiet about his role. However, the implications are clear. Meta is not only investing heavily in AI infrastructure but is also strategically acquiring top-level talent from rivals to push ahead in foundational AI research.
This shift puts more pressure on Apple as it races to catch up in the AI space. While the company plans to introduce AI-powered features in iOS 18 and future Siri updates, those plans may now rely more heavily on outside models. With Pang gone, internal expertise may dwindle even further, adding urgency to Apple’s decision-making on its AI roadmap.
The Apple AI head Ruoming Pang leaving for Meta represents a major turning point. It signals not just a change in personnel but a possible reconfiguration of AI leadership dynamics across the tech industry. Meta continues to emerge as a serious player in AI, not just through product development but by building one of the strongest teams in the field.
READ: Ziz LaSota and the Violent Fallout of Rationalist Extremism