Apple Loses Fourth AI Expert to Meta as Talent War Intensifies with $100M Signing Bonuses

Jan 13, 2026
MacRumors
Article image for Apple Loses Fourth AI Expert to Meta as Talent War Intensifies with $100M Signing Bonuses

Summary

Meta poaches Apple's fourth AI expert with massive $100 million signing bonuses as the tech giant's foundation models team crumbles, forcing Apple to consider outsourcing AI development to competitors like OpenAI while employee morale plummets.

Key Points

  • Apple loses fourth AI expert Bowen Zhang to Meta's Superintelligence Labs, following foundation models team leader Ruoming Pang who received over $200 million compensation
  • Meta aggressively recruits AI talent with signing bonuses up to $100 million while Apple only marginally increases pay for its foundation models team
  • Apple considers using third-party AI technology from Anthropic or OpenAI for future features including Siri upgrades, leading to falling morale and more employees interviewing elsewhere

Tags

Read Original Article