Apple's Struggles to Attract Top AI Talent: A Sign of Internal Disagreements and Lack of Ambition.

Apple is struggling to attract top AI talent due to internal disagreements and a lack of ambition compared to competitors. The company's software chief opposed releasing AI models as open source, and the research team felt sidelined. This led to key researchers leaving for other companies with clearer missions and more aggressive research goals, making Apple less attractive to elite researchers. Analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus rating on AAPL stock with an average price target of $227.37 per share.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) is facing a significant challenge in attracting top AI talent, as key researchers have been leaving the company for competitors with clearer missions and more aggressive research goals. This trend is due to internal disagreements and a perceived lack of ambition compared to rivals like Meta Platforms Inc. (META.O), which has been aggressively recruiting AI talent with substantial compensation packages.

Meta has recently hired two former Apple AI researchers, Mark Lee and Tom Gunter, for its Superintelligence Labs team. This move follows Meta's earlier recruitment of Ruoming Pang, the former head of Apple's Foundation Models team, who received a multiyear compensation package reportedly worth over $200 million [1]. The hires underscore Meta's aggressive approach to building a competitive edge in the AI sector.

Apple's AI division has been weakened by these high-profile departures, which could impact its future AI initiatives. The company's stock has seen a 24% increase year-to-date, but the loss of key AI talent to Meta could pose a significant risk [2].

The exodus of AI talent from Apple is a result of internal disagreements over the release of AI models as open source and a perceived lack of ambition compared to competitors. Apple's software chief opposed releasing AI models as open source, which sidelined the research team and made Apple less attractive to elite researchers [3].

Analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus rating on AAPL stock with an average price target of $227.37 per share, indicating a cautious optimism about the company's future prospects [4].

References:
[1] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-07-17/meta-hires-two-key-apple-ai-experts-after-poaching-their-boss
[2] https://www.ainvest.com/news/meta-hires-apple-engineers-boosts-ai-talent-war-big-paychecks-2507/
[3] https://www.business-standard.com/technology/tech-news/inside-apple-s-new-ai-models-how-it-works-where-it-gets-its-training-data-125072200594_1.html
[4] https://thedesk.net/2025/07/netflix-q2-2025-earnings-report/