META HIRES TWO KEY APPLE AI RESEARCHERS AFTER POACHING THEIR BOSS
Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has intensified the tech industry’s artificial intelligence (AI) talent war by hiring two prominent Apple AI researchers—just weeks after successfully recruiting their supervisor. The strategic hires are part of Meta’s aggressive push to position itself as a leading player in the AI space, especially as competition heats up with rivals like Apple, Google, and OpenAI.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the two researchers, whose names have not been publicly disclosed due to corporate confidentiality agreements, were both involved in cutting-edge AI projects at Apple, particularly in the fields of machine learning, multimodal systems, and on-device intelligence. Their expertise is expected to bolster Meta’s efforts in advancing large language models (LLMs), generative AI, and virtual assistants for its growing ecosystem of apps and devices.
The hires follow Meta’s recent recruitment of John Giannandrea, the former Senior Vice President of Machine Learning and AI Strategy at Apple. Giannandrea, a highly respected figure in the AI world, was previously a top executive at Google before joining Apple in 2018 to lead its AI efforts, including Siri’s development and Apple’s internal AI initiatives. His move to Meta is seen as a significant blow to Apple and a major win for Meta, which has been working to close the AI gap with its Silicon Valley peers.
Industry analysts say the recruitment of these key personnel reflects Meta’s strategy to aggressively scale its AI capabilities amid the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has made AI a central focus of the company’s future, committing billions of dollars to build infrastructure, research teams, and foundational models. Meta recently unveiled new versions of its LLaMA (Large Language Model Meta AI) series, and has been integrating AI-powered features into Instagram, WhatsApp, and the Meta Quest platform.
“These hires show that Meta is not only serious about building world-class AI models but also willing to directly challenge Apple’s dominance in on-device intelligence,” said Dan Ives, a tech analyst at Wedbush Securities. “It’s a brain drain for Apple, and a brain gain for Meta.”
Apple, known for its tight secrecy and loyalty among employees, has traditionally been successful in retaining top talent. However, with AI becoming the most sought-after field in tech, companies like Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon are offering massive compensation packages, research freedom, and access to large-scale compute infrastructure to attract the best minds.
While Apple has not publicly commented on the departures, sources within the company suggest it is reevaluating its AI roadmap and internal development culture to prevent further talent losses. Apple is also believed to be ramping up efforts to improve Siri and introduce new AI features with the release of iOS 18 and its next generation of devices.
With the tech giants locked in an AI arms race, Meta’s recent hires could shift momentum. The addition of top AI researchers from Apple may accelerate Meta’s development of advanced assistants, smart glasses, and more immersive AI-driven experiences across its metaverse initiatives—signaling that the battle for AI leadership is only just beginning.