September 3, 2025 – According to a report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple continues to grapple with a significant talent drain in its artificial intelligence (AI) sector.
On Tuesday local time, Meta confirmed that Jian Zhang, who had been leading Apple’s robotics research, has joined its robotics division, Meta Robotics Studio. This development comes amid news that three more researchers from Apple’s in-house large language model (LLM) team have resigned.
Sources familiar with the matter identified the departing researchers as John Peebles, Nan Du, and Zhao Meng. Zhao Meng is reportedly set to join Anthropic, while Peebles and Du are expected to move to OpenAI. All three were part of Apple’s foundational model team, which has seen approximately ten members leave recently, including its leader. This team was responsible for underpinning the development of Apple Intelligence, the company’s AI platform.
Prior to this wave of departures, several team members had already defected to Meta. Notably, Ruoming Pang, the former head of the team, left Apple for a multi-year contract worth $200 million.
Gurman noted that discussions are underway within Apple about whether to increase reliance on external AI technologies rather than fully committing to in-house models. Some employees attribute the decline in team morale to the lukewarm reception of Apple Intelligence upon its launch and rumors of a potential shift toward third-party solutions.
In the realm of robotics research, Zhang’s team at Apple had focused on automation technologies and the integration of AI into related products. Earlier this year, Mario Srouji, a member of Zhang’s team, left for Archer Aviation to lead AI product development. This research group falls under Apple’s AI and machine learning division, distinct from the robotics product development team that was previously merged into the hardware engineering division.
Bloomberg’s report highlights that robotics technology is a key component of Apple’s future product roadmap, which includes plans for a desktop device with a movable screen and robotic arms for retail and manufacturing applications. Meanwhile, Meta is advancing its robotics research through its Reality Labs division, investing in intelligent glasses, AI capabilities, and the development of operating systems and hardware for humanoid robots. At Meta, Zhang will oversee product development efforts.
Sources also suggest that the exodus from Apple’s AI team is likely to continue, with more employees exploring potential opportunities elsewhere.
