Meta’s Coup: Poaching Apple’s AI Lead to Fuel a Superintelligence Push

In a high-stakes move that underscores the intensifying battle for global AI supremacy, Meta has landed a major coup: acquiring Ruoming Pang, the head of Apple’s foundation models team. Pang’s defection not only signals a strategic escalation in Meta’s ambitions but also delivers a jarring blow to Apple’s flagging AI aspirations.

A Strategic Snatch

Mark Zuckerberg’s latest hire arrives amid Meta’s aggressive recruitment blitz for its newly created Superintelligence Labs. Pang—a key architect behind Apple’s on-device AI systems—has joined Meta, reportedly taking home a package worth tens of millions of dollars annually.

He follows a roster of high-profile defectors from rivals like OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Anthropic, and Scale AI—a lineup that reinforces Meta’s bold ambition to challenge the likes of OpenAI at the frontier of next-gen AI.

Why Pang Matters

At Apple, Pang oversaw a team of around 100 engineers tasked with building foundation models powering Apple Intelligence features such as Genmoji, email summarization, and advanced Siri capabilities. His expertise in designing compact, efficient on-device models aligns well with Meta’s strategy to optimize performance and privacy across its massive user base.

Moreover, his departure coincides with reports of internal struggles at Apple: morale has faltered amid leadership disagreements over whether to build in-house models or outsource to external partners like OpenAI or Anthropic. With both Apple and Meta pushing the envelope, talented engineers are voting with their feet.

Meta’s Superintelligence Gambit

Meta’s Superintelligence Labs, helmed by Alexandr Wang—the former CEO of Scale AI—and co-led by Nat Friedman, is the crown jewel of a bold AI crusade. The unit’s aggressive recruitment drives—including packages rumored to reach up to $100 million, maybe even $300 million in multi-year equity—reflect Zuckerberg’s ultimate goal: building AI capabilities that rival or surpass OpenAI and Google.

Yet, not everyone is convinced. Analysts warn that such high spending may not translate into strong returns and could strain Meta’s margins. Still, Zuckerberg appears undeterred, sequencing these talent coups to realign the company’s trajectory in the AI arms race.

Fallout for Apple

Apple’s loss of Pang—the head of one of its most critical AI units—is arguably its most striking AI leadership setback in recent memory. It comes just as Apple struggles to deliver intelligent features it teased at WWDC 2024, repeatedly delaying updates to Siri, citing quality concerns.

As Cupertino reassesses leadership—tasked to Craig Federighi and Mike Rockwell—morale issues appear to follow. Industry insiders warn Pang may be “the first of many” departures, and speculation grows that Apple may finally embrace OpenAI or Anthropic models rather than its own.

What’s Next?

Meta’s aggressive pivot begs important questions: Will this arms race for talent yield a breakthrough in AGI, or simply inflate salaries without changing the game? The next clue may come after Meta’s Q2 earnings call, scheduled for July 30, 2025, when investors will weigh in on whether AI investments are translating into tangible gains.

For Apple, the stakes are equally high. Can it recalibrate its strategy, stabilize its AI leadership, and finally deliver the transformative Siri-era promised? Or will this high-profile defection mark the beginning of a talent exodus that leaves it trailing in the AI race?

Conclusion

Meta’s acquisition of Ruoming Pang is more than a talent win—it’s a symbolic declaration that the company is dead serious about AI, ready to spend at unprecedented levels to match its biggest rivals. Meanwhile, Apple must grapple with both the immediate loss of a pivotal leader and the deeper challenges in its AI pipeline. The next few months, from earnings reports to product announcements, will reveal whether this gamble pays off—or if it marks a misstep in a very human fight for intelligence supremacy.