Apple has lost another key member of its artificial intelligence team, as Jian Zhang, the company’s lead AI researcher for robotics, has departed to join Meta’s Robotics Studio. The move marks the latest in a string of high-profile exits from Apple’s AI division, which has been facing mounting challenges as it tries to compete with rivals in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
Meta confirmed Zhang’s hiring on Tuesday. At Apple, he led a small group of researchers focused on automation technology and the application of AI in robotics. That team had already seen attrition earlier this year, including the departure of Mario Srouji, who left in April to head AI products at Archer Aviation. Zhang’s new role at Meta will involve developing products within the Reality Labs division, which is investing heavily in smart glasses, AI features, and hardware for humanoid robots.
The departures don’t end there. According to people familiar with the matter, three more members of Apple’s in-house large language model (LLM) team are leaving. The group — John Peebles, Nan Du, and Zhao Meng — were all part of Apple’s Foundation Models team, a central player in developing Apple Intelligence, the AI platform launched last year. Peebles and Du are headed to OpenAI, while Zhao is joining Anthropic PBC.
Apple’s Foundation Models team has now lost around 10 members, including its leader Ruoming Pang, who left for a multiyear, $200 million package at Meta. Bloomberg previously reported that Apple is internally debating whether to lean more on third-party AI models rather than exclusively relying on in-house technology — a move that has reportedly dampened morale.
“It hasn’t been entirely smooth sailing for Meta, though. Several of the recently hired AI researchers have already quit,” Wired reported.
News of the exits briefly weighed on Apple’s stock, which fell 1.5% to $228.77 on Tuesday afternoon.
Robotics remains a strategic focus for Apple, with Bloomberg reporting that the company is developing a tabletop robot with a moving screen and a robotic arm for retail and manufacturing use. Still, insiders say more Apple AI employees are actively interviewing elsewhere, signaling continued turbulence within the company’s AI division.
