Meta Acquires AI Expertise: Jian Zhang, Former Head of Robotics Research at Apple, Departs
In a significant shakeup within the tech industry, Jian Zhang, a lead robotics researcher at Apple, has resigned and joined Meta Platform Inc.'s robotics studio. Zhang's departure is one of several exits from Apple's AI team, with John Peebles, Nan Du, and Zhao Meng, members of Apple's large language models team, also resigning during the same week.
Zhang's team at Apple focused on automation and applications, and was part of the artificial intelligence and machine learning division. The team's departure may have a significant impact on Apple's position in the AI race compared to competitors like Samsung. The company is currently facing challenges in the development of AI models and is relying more on external resources.
According to reports by Bloomberg, the resignations may have been caused by salary-related factors. Meta is offering lucrative packages, up to $100 million, to attract top researchers. Zhang's new role is within Meta's Reality Labs department, which houses the company's robotics studio.
The tech giant is not the only beneficiary of these departures. Meta Platform Inc., led by Mark Zuckerberg, is actively recruiting top researchers, including Zhang. The company is investing in robotics, smart glasses, and AI features.
Besides Zhang, several other AI researchers left Apple in the same period. The former head of the Foundations Model, Ruoming Pang, moved to Meta along with about ten colleagues. Other AI researchers departed toward OpenAI and Anthropic.
In response to these departures, Apple has formed a team to develop the Apple Intelligence platform to stay competitive in the AI sector. However, the company may face challenges in offering cutting-edge AI technology in its product lines due to the departures of prominent researchers.
The resignations of these key personnel come at a critical time for Apple, as the company is striving to innovate and stay ahead in the competitive AI race. The impact of these departures on Apple's future AI projects remains to be seen.
