Apple’s foundation models division is encountering considerable obstacles as it navigates a wave of employee exits, particularly towards competitors like Meta. Recent findings suggest that the company has experienced the departure of several essential staff members, including its leader in foundation models and numerous AI researchers, which raises alarm over its aspirations in AI.
The most recent exit involves Bowen Zhang, a distinguished multimodal AI researcher who has joined Meta’s newly formed superintelligence group. Zhang played a vital role in Apple’s foundation models team, which created the foundational technology for the firm’s AI platform. This ongoing trend of employee turnover has been intensified by Meta’s assertive hiring tactics, which have successfully lured talent away from Apple.
Although Apple has slightly raised salaries for its foundation models employees, these changes are reportedly still lacking when compared to the compensation packages provided by rivals. This pay gap is thought to contribute to the persistent exodus of talent.
Moreover, Apple is considering a strategic pivot regarding its AI projects. The company is assessing the option of employing third-party large language models (LLMs) to improve its Siri voice assistant and other AI functionalities. This exploration includes potentially integrating models from OpenAI and Anthropic. While Apple is also in the process of developing its own competing models, the evaluation of external alternatives has introduced uncertainty within the foundation models team.
This current scenario underscores the essential importance of AI in Apple’s long-range plans. The difficulty in retaining top talent presents a significant threat to the company’s endeavors to stay competitive in the swiftly changing AI domain. If these challenges are not addressed, Apple may continue to struggle with workforce retention and the progression of its AI capabilities.
