Apple’s head of foundation models, Ruoming Pang, has left the company to join Meta’s Superintelligence Labs, marking a setback for Apple’s AI ambitions. Pang previously managed around 100 engineers focused on core language models utilized in Apple Intelligence features. This significant departure follows that of his top deputy, amid growing internal concerns regarding Apple’s dependence on external partnerships like OpenAI for AI advancements. Meta has been aggressively recruiting top AI talent, bolstered by its recent large investment in Scale AI to enhance its AI capabilities. Critics highlight that Meta's strategy creates skepticism about Apple’s competitive position in the AI sector. Despite launching new generative AI features at WWDC 2025, Apple faces perceptions of lagging behind in AI innovation, attributing to a lack of clear strategic direction, which exposes a potential vacuum filled by skepticism regarding its future in the competitive AI landscape.

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