In a major move that highlights the intensifying competition for top AI talent, Meta has hired Ke Yang, a key executive who previously led Apple’s AI models team. According to a Reuters report, Yang, who joined Apple in 2019, was responsible for overseeing the Answers, Knowledge and Information (AKI) team — a group central to the planned Siri overhaul expected in March. His departure marks another high-profile exit from Apple’s AI division as major tech firms continue to battle for leadership in artificial intelligence innovation.
Ke Yang, a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, has been a prominent figure in the global AI landscape. At Apple, he led efforts to develop AI-driven web search capabilities aimed at making Siri a more intelligent and context-aware voice assistant. His technical expertise and leadership played a crucial role in steering Apple’s AI development during a pivotal phase of transformation.
Despite spearheading several key projects, Yang has now left Apple to join Meta Platforms Inc., a move that many analysts view as a significant moment in the ongoing AI talent race. Neither Apple nor Meta has commented on his new role, but his transition is widely seen as a strategic win for Meta as it seeks to deepen its expertise in generative and applied AI systems.
Yang’s exit follows a growing list of Apple’s AI leaders who have joined Meta in recent months. According to Bloomberg, around a dozen members of Apple’s Apple Foundation Models team have departed, including its founder and lead scientist Ruoming Pang, who now heads Meta’s Superintelligence Labs. Other notable exits include Chong Wang, who left earlier this month, Frank Chu, who joined Meta in August, and Sam Wiseman, who recently moved to Reflection AI.
These departures come at a time when Apple is working to revitalise Siri and strengthen its generative AI capabilities under the leadership of John Giannandrea, Senior Vice President of AI and Machine Learning, in collaboration with Craig Federighi’s software engineering team. At Apple, Yang led the AKI group responsible for transforming Siri by integrating advanced AI similar to ChatGPT, aiming to make the assistant more conversational and capable. Reporting directly to Giannandrea, he played a central role in Apple’s push to close the gap with rivals such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta—a challenge that has now become even more pressing following his move to Meta.
