Apple’s AI brain drain grows as robotics head joins Meta, 3 others quit

New Delhi: Apple’s artificial intelligence research teams are facing another wave of exits. Four key researchers have left the company in the past week, with three moving to major rivals OpenAI and Anthropic, and one joining Meta’s robotics push. The departures add to a growing talent drain from Apple’s AI and foundation models divisions.

According to Bloomberg, Apple’s lead robotics researcher Jian Zhang has joined Meta Platforms’ Robotics Studio, while John Peebles and Nan Du have accepted roles at OpenAI. Zhao Meng has signed on with Anthropic. Their exits come just weeks after several other senior researchers, including Ruoming Pang, quit Apple for compensation packages in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Zhang, who previously led a small robotics-focused team at Apple, will now work within Meta’s Reality Labs division. At Apple, his group explored how AI could be embedded into automation technologies and consumer-facing products. Bloomberg reported that Apple has been exploring robotics hardware itself, with prototypes ranging from a tabletop machine with a moving screen to a robotic arm for use in retail stores.

Meta, meanwhile, is ramping up its robotics and AI integration. The company is investing in its own operating systems and components for humanoid robots, alongside its smart glasses and AR devices. Zhang’s move signals Meta’s growing pull in the robotics sector, especially as it competes with Apple for high-profile AI talent.

The other three departures cut deep into Apple’s Foundation Models team, which helped build Apple Intelligence, the company’s in-house AI platform launched last year. That group has now lost about 10 members in recent weeks, including its chief. Many of them have joined rivals, lured by aggressive offers. Bloomberg previously reported that Pang left Apple for a multi-year package worth about $200 million (₹1,740 crore).

The erosion of Apple’s AI staff raises questions about its strategy. Sources told Bloomberg that the company is considering relying more on third-party models rather than building all of its technology internally. That possibility, along with lukewarm reception for Apple Intelligence, has reportedly hurt morale among employees.

The news of the exits rattled investors. Apple’s stock slipped by 1.5 percent to $228.77 (₹19,900) on Tuesday afternoon in New York after Bloomberg reported the story. While Apple has not commented publicly, its rivals have welcomed the hires. OpenAI and Meta confirmed the additions, while Anthropic declined to comment.

Apple has invested heavily in AI and machine learning, seeing them as central to its future products across iPhones, Macs, and potential robotics devices. However, competing with companies like OpenAI, Meta, and Anthropic, which are offering record-breaking pay and high-visibility projects, is proving challenging.

The exits highlight how fiercely contested the AI talent market has become. Apple’s robotics group is still intact but weakened, and its foundation models team may face further departures, with more employees said to be interviewing outside the company.

For Apple, which has historically built most of its core technology in-house, the question is whether it will now lean on external partners to keep pace. For rivals, the inflow of Apple talent strengthens their bets on AI’s future, whether in large language models or robotics.