Apple’s brain drain continues as lead AI robotics researcher leaves for Meta

Apple CEO Tim Cook
Bloomberg News‘ Mark Gurman reports that Apple’s lead AI researcher for robotics, Jian Zhang, has left the company to join Meta Platforms’ robotics division, contributing to a brain drain of AI talent from Tim Cook’s Apple. Meta confirmed Zhang’s move to its Robotics Studio on Tuesday.
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
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Separately, three more AI researchers are leaving Apple’s in-house large language models team, adding to upheaval in that group, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
The latest string of departures — all taking place over the last week — includes John Peebles, Nan Du, and Zhao Meng, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the moves haven’t been announced.
They were all part of an Apple Foundation Models team that has lost roughly 10 members, including its chief, in recent weeks. The group was central to the creation of the Apple Intelligence platform, launched last year as part of the company’s bid to catch up in AI.
Peebles and Du are heading to OpenAI, while Zhao is joining Anthropic PBC.
Zhang, the robotics researcher, led a small team of academics focused on automation technology and the role of AI in such products. That team has already suffered some turnover, with one of Zhang’s reports, Mario Srouji, leaving to run AI products at Archer Aviation Inc. in April.

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MacDailyNews Take: Judging by the state of Apple Intelligence, how good could they be?
Still, an exodus of talent in an ever-growing AI brain drain train doesn’t happen at companies with inspiring, focused, visionary leadership. Nobody with any smarts wants to work for a canned video vaporware factory fronted by a cardboard cutout CEO clinging on a decade past his sell-by date.
From what we hear about Apple today, especially in AI, we don’t blame them for leaving.

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