Meta has recruited another top executive from Apple as part of Mark Zuckerberg’s push to build a world-class AI team, further deepening the talent drain at the iPhone maker. According to Bloomberg, Frank Chu, who led Apple’s AI-focused cloud infrastructure, will soon join Meta’s Superintelligence Labs (MSL) — the division recently established by Zuckerberg and headed by former Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang.
At Apple, Chu oversaw the deployment of large language models on the company’s cloud servers, managed AI training operations, and contributed to developing search capabilities for Siri and Apple’s entertainment services. His exit marks one of the most significant departures from Apple since July, when Meta began aggressively targeting senior AI talent.
The first major loss for Apple came when Ruoming Pang, head of its models team, left for Meta in July. Pang reportedly received a package worth over $200 million. His departure was quickly followed by engineers Tom Gunter, Mark Lee, Bowen Zhang, and Yun Zhu, who also switched to Meta. Given his senior role, Chu is seen as the second most high-profile departure after Pang. He worked under Benoit Dupin, Apple’s AI infrastructure chief, who reports to John Giannandrea, Apple’s head of AI strategy. At Meta, Chu will reportedly focus on MSL Infra, a newly formed unit responsible for the company’s AI infrastructure.
Zuckerberg’s recruitment campaign has extended beyond Apple, with Meta also hiring from OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic. However, despite the aggressive poaching, Meta recently signaled a slowdown in its hiring pace. In an internal memo, the company told managers: “In order to responsibly manage our headcount and ensure our open and future roles are aligned with our top priorities, we’re temporarily pausing hiring across all MSL teams, with the exception of business-critical roles.”
Meanwhile, Wang sought to reassure employees and stakeholders, stating in a recent post that the company is “investing more and more into Meta Superintelligence Labs.”
These moves come as Apple struggles to keep up with rivals in the fast-moving AI race. Delays in its much-anticipated Siri overhaul and reports of potential reliance on third-party AI models have unsettled Apple’s internal teams. With the departure of Pang, Chu, and several engineers, the company faces mounting challenges in retaining talent and advancing its AI ambitions.
