NEW YORK, July 8: Apple’s head of AI models, Ruoming Pang, is leaving the tech giant to join Meta, Bloomberg reported Monday. Pang’s move marks the latest high-profile AI executive recruited by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to lead his new AI superintelligence division.

Pang previously led Apple’s in-house team responsible for training the foundation AI models that support Apple Intelligence and various on-device AI features. However, Apple’s AI offerings have lagged behind competitors like OpenAI, Anthropic, and even Meta itself. Reports suggest Apple has considered integrating third-party AI models for its upcoming Siri upgrade, highlighting struggles within its AI development.

Sources indicate that Pang’s departure may signal further exits within Apple’s AI unit, where morale has been affected by uncertainties about the company’s AI direction. Pang’s expertise in designing compact, on-device AI models is expected to bolster Meta’s growing AI team, which has recently welcomed talent from Google DeepMind, OpenAI, and other leading AI firms.

Bloomberg noted that Meta attracted Pang with an annual compensation package reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars. Pang managed a team of around 100 employees at Apple, developing large language models used in features such as email summaries, Priority Notifications, and Genmoji.

Apple has faced increasing pressure to keep pace with rivals offering more advanced AI capabilities, including Google and Samsung. Earlier this year, Apple postponed the Apple Intelligence Siri features originally announced at WWDC 2024, prompting a restructuring of its AI teams. The company’s AI efforts are now overseen by software chief Craig Federighi and Mike Rockwell, who led the development of Vision Pro.

Pang’s departure reflects broader challenges within Apple’s AI division as it strives to catch up in an increasingly competitive market, while Meta continues to aggressively expand its AI leadership.