Apple has experienced another wave of departures from its artificial intelligence division, with four key team members leaving to join rival companies in the competitive AI field. Despite the noticeable exits, industry experts believe these shifts won’t significantly disrupt Apple’s AI strategy.
Who’s Leaving and Where They’re Going
The departures include Jian Zhang, a prominent AI researcher specializing in robotics, who is now heading to Meta’s Robotics Studio. Additionally, three members of Apple’s Foundational Models group—John Peebles, Nan Du, and Zhao Meng—are also making moves. Peebles and Du are joining OpenAI, while Zhao is heading to Anthropic.
A Growing Trend of Talent Movement
This latest round of exits continues a broader pattern of Apple’s AI specialists moving to competitors. Meta, in particular, has actively recruited from Apple’s talent pool, previously luring high-profile AI researcher Tom Gunter and, more notably, Ruoming Pang, who once led Apple’s foundational models team. Pang’s departure reportedly cost Meta a $200 million deal.
Why This Isn’t a Major Concern for Apple
Although these departures involve experienced researchers, they are not high-ranking executives, which lessens their potential impact on Apple’s long-term strategy. Experts emphasize that staff turnover is common in the AI industry, where fierce competition for talent is a constant. Furthermore, Apple continues to ramp up its hiring efforts, making it difficult to gauge the net effect of these exits.
What’s Next for Apple?
Despite these staff changes, Apple remains focused on its AI ambitions, particularly its Apple Intelligence platform and upcoming software updates. Analysts predict that Apple will continue to recruit aggressively, balancing departures with fresh hires. As one expert pointed out, talent movement in AI is simply “business as usual” in a fast-evolving industry.