The AI race is heating up, and the biggest names in tech are fighting for more than just innovation. They are fighting for people. Meta in particular has been aggressive, offering massive pay packages to lure top talent away from rivals, and Apple has become one of its prime targets.
Just when it seemed Apple’s AI division had endured enough departures, another high-profile name has left. Jian Zhang, the company’s lead researcher for robotics, has joined Meta’s Robotics Studio. Zhang’s work focused on automation and robotics, making him a key figure in Apple’s artificial intelligence push. His exit continues a growing trend that has seen more than a dozen AI researchers leave Apple this year, many heading to Meta, OpenAI, and Anthropic.
This wave of departures has come at a delicate time. Apple is working on major Siri upgrades, with a second-generation version of the assistant expected in 2026. But delays in rolling out Apple Intelligence features for iOS 18 have already raised concerns about whether the company can deliver at the pace of its competitors. Industry insiders have even called the ongoing losses a “crisis of confidence” in Apple’s AI future.
Meanwhile, Meta’s strategy is crystal clear. By targeting seasoned researchers from Apple and other tech leaders, it has been able to quickly strengthen its AI teams in robotics and automation. The company’s willingness to pay well above the industry standard, including the reported $200 million deal that secured Apple’s former Foundation Models lead Ruoming Pang, shows how serious it is about winning this race.
Apple’s traditional playbook of secrecy and polished, long-term execution has worked in the past, but AI is moving differently. The field is evolving in public, at breakneck speed, and rivals are not shy about showing off their progress. With Meta doubling down on talent recruitment, Apple now faces pressure not just to innovate but also to prove it can keep its best people from leaving.
If the current trend continues, Apple may need to rethink how it approaches AI; both in how it develops products and in how it competes for talent. Because in this new race, losing top researchers could be just as costly as falling behind on technology itself.
(via Bloomberg)
