Apple Loses Key Robotics and AI Researcher

Jian Zhang, who led AI research in robotics and automation at Apple for ten years, has decided to move to Meta. This move comes as Apple is working on projects such as tabletop robots and robotic arms for retail. Zhang's role was crucial because he led the team focused on these technologies. According to Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the situation, Zhang will join Meta Robotics Studio. His departure adds to uncertainty about the future of these projects at Apple.

This move is not an isolated case. Meta previously lured Ruoming Pang, the former head of Apple's foundation models team, with an offer worth $200 million (CZK 4.52 billion). Meta is thus aggressively recruiting talent from Apple to strengthen its own robotics efforts.

More Researchers Are Leaving Apple

In addition to Zhang, other members of the AI team are also leaving. Three researchers from the foundation models team have decided to move on: John Peebles and Nan Du are heading to OpenAI, while Zhao Meng is joining Anthropic. These departures are part of a larger wave that has seen nearly ten people leave the team in recent weeks, including its head.

According to reports from Bloomberg and The Verge, these changes have taken place in recent weeks and primarily affect the team working on large language models (LLMs). Peebles and Du, for example, focused on advanced AI systems that Apple uses for features such as Apple Intelligence.

Reasons Behind These Departures

Morale is low in Apple's AI division, partly due to the lukewarm reception of Apple Intelligence features. In addition, salaries at Apple lag behind offers from competitors such as Meta, OpenAI, and Anthropic. These companies offer lucrative compensation packages that Apple finds difficult to match.

Moreover, an internal debate is underway at Apple over whether to continue developing its own AI models or rely more heavily on external technologies from companies such as OpenAI or Anthropic. This deliberation points to a talent retention crisis at the very moment when Apple needs to strengthen its position in artificial intelligence and robotics.