Apple Struggles to Retain AI Talent Amid Fierce Silicon Valley Hiring War

Since the start of 2025, Apple has seen a wave of departures from its artificial intelligence (AI) division, with top researchers and key engineers leaving for major competitors including Meta, OpenAI, xAI, and Cohere. This talent drain underscores the challenges facing the iPhone maker as the battle for AI expertise in Silicon Valley intensifies.

Meta, OpenAI, and Others Step Up Talent Poaching

According to Financial Times, several members of Apple’s core foundation model team have joined rival firms. Notably, OpenAI recruited Brandon McKinzie and Dian Ang Yap — two prominent research engineers from Apple — while Canadian AI startup Cohere hired machine learning scientist Liutong Zhou in June.

One of the most high-profile exits came last month, when Ruoming Pang, head of the foundation model team, left Apple for Meta. Sources say Meta has been offering signing bonuses exceeding $100 million to lure top AI leaders. Other key members, including Mark Lee, Tom Gunter, Bowen Zhang, and Shuang Ma, also moved to Meta, while UK-based researcher Floris Weers departed in July to join an undisclosed startup.

Aaron Sines, AI recruitment director at Razoroo, commented: “The departure of Ruoming Pang is a big loss. It signals a trust crisis over what’s coming next. Many of our clients are saying, ‘Look at Apple — it’s open season.’”

Growing Pressure on Apple’s AI Ambitions

The exodus comes as CEO Tim Cook pledges a stronger commitment to AI. Last week, he held a rare all-hands meeting to emphasize the importance of “winning” in the AI race. A former Apple executive remarked, “Tim Cook is doing this because he realizes the narrative is slipping out of his control.”

Over the past year, Apple has faced difficulties updating its Siri virtual assistant with advanced large language models (LLMs) capable of delivering more sophisticated responses. Delays in rolling out a smarter Siri have led to a senior leadership reshuffle, moving oversight from John Giannandrea — an AI expert hired from Google in 2018 — to Mike Rockwell, the executive behind the Vision Pro headset.

Siri upgrades are central to “Apple Intelligence,” a suite of AI features announced at last year’s WWDC aimed at boosting hardware sales. However, analysts warn that Apple’s traditionally cautious approach could leave it trailing competitors in a rapidly evolving AI landscape.

In the AI Market, Talent Is a Strategic Asset

Apple’s foundation model group is relatively small, estimated at just 50–60 members, but it plays a critical role within the company’s broader AI and machine learning division. Sines noted that only about 1,000 to 2,000 people worldwide have the deep expertise needed to build and deploy foundation models — making them highly sought after by the tech industry’s biggest players.

The competition extends beyond Apple and Meta. Financial Times recently reported that Microsoft hired more than 20 AI staff from Google’s DeepMind research unit. Graig Paglieri, CEO of Randstad Digital, stressed: “Top AI talent is now viewed as a strategic asset — on par with intellectual property or even entire business units. Companies are pursuing these individuals with the same intensity and valuation frameworks once reserved for acquisitions.”

Apple and Meta declined to comment, while OpenAI and Cohere did not respond to requests for comment.