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Meta Platforms has recruited two senior artificial intelligence (AI) researchers from Apple, in what marks another major coup in the intensifying competition for top-tier AI talent. The appointments follow closely on the heels of Meta\u2019s high-profile acquisition of Ruoming Pang, the former head of Apple\u2019s large language model (LLM) division.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Mark Lee and Tom Gunter, both previously pivotal figures in Apple\u2019s AI efforts, have been brought on board Meta\u2019s Superintelligence Labs team<\/a>, according to individuals familiar with the matter. While Lee has already commenced his new role, Gunter is expected to join in the near future. Meta has not officially confirmed the hires.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The move underscores Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg\u2019s <\/a>commitment to positioning the company at the forefront of AI development. Zuckerberg has made AI a central strategic priority, pledging massive investment in personnel and infrastructure to rival the capabilities of OpenAI and Google. Just this week, he declared on Threads that Meta would “invest hundreds of billions of dollars into compute to build superintelligence”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gunter, previously a distinguished engineer at Apple, left the company last month and briefly joined another AI venture before making the switch to Meta. Lee, reportedly the first hire made by Pang at Apple, also exited recently. Both were considered integral to Apple\u2019s Foundation Models (AFM) team, the group behind the company\u2019s generative AI projects.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Meta’s offer to Pang, which included a compensation package exceeding $200 million, appears to have set a precedent. Gunter and several others in Meta\u2019s AI division are believed to have secured similarly lucrative multiyear contracts, valued at over $100 million.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n